Summer Detox Drinks (Printable)
A trio of hydrating, low-sugar summer drinks: cucumber-citrus, watermelon-basil, and ginger-lemon green tea.
# What You'll Need:
→ Citrus-Cucumber Detox Water
01 - 4 cups cold water
02 - 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
03 - 1 lemon, thinly sliced
04 - 10 fresh mint leaves
→ Watermelon Basil Cooler
05 - 2 cups watermelon, cubed and chilled
06 - Juice of 1 lime
07 - 6 fresh basil leaves
08 - 1 cup cold water
→ Ginger-Lemon Green Tea
09 - 2 green tea bags
10 - 2 cups boiling water
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
12 - Juice of 1 lemon
13 - 1 teaspoon honey or agave (optional)
# How To Make It:
01 - In a large pitcher, combine the cold water with thinly sliced cucumber, lemon rounds, and fresh mint leaves. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse. Serve poured over ice.
02 - Add the chilled watermelon cubes, lime juice, basil leaves, and cold water to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if a smoother consistency is desired, then pour into glasses filled with ice.
03 - Steep the green tea bags in boiling water along with the sliced ginger for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags and ginger slices. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and honey or agave if using. Allow to cool, then chill in the refrigerator before serving over ice.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- These three drinks together give you a full lineup for any summer afternoon without turning on a single burner.
- Each one takes almost no effort but looks impressive enough that people think you spent hours.
- You can prep them all in under ten minutes and then just wait for the fridge to do the rest of the work.
02 -
- If you skip the refrigeration time on the detox water it will taste like slightly suspicious tap water with decorations floating in it.
- Oversteeping the green tea is the fastest way to ruin this entire drink because bitterness will overpower the ginger and lemon completely.
03 -
- Roll your citrus fruits firmly on the counter before slicing to release more juice and oils from the peel into the water.
- Make a double batch of the ginger lemon tea and freeze half in ice cube trays to use as flavor boosting ice in the other drinks.