On a day-to-day basis I drink a lot of water. I am talking a lot of water. Doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, I usually have at least one water bottle within arms reach. Unless I am at my desk, in which case, I have about five bottles plus a cup of tea. When it is summer time these bottles usually are filled with some kind of infused water with strawberries, limes, and even grapes, but as it gets colder, I begin to move away from these flavors and towards plain water because a lemon berry combination no longer is a flavor I feel like as I am walking through the blistering winds every morning. But this year I decided not to go down without a fight and, after some trial and error, I came up with these three perfectly infused waters for fall.
I am not saying that you cannot enjoy your usual infused flavors, but something about my usual flavors just doesn’t seem to match up with my taste buds when there are leaves falling outside my window. So instead I have moved onto more sturdy fruits and spices to make my water have a bit more oomf. I know. SPICES! I am not saying that I am going for the Cinnamon challenge and adding a tablespoon of ground cinnamon into a cup of water, but instead I am adding the unprocessed form of the spice to make for a much subtler and smooth taste. Cinnamon sticks, full cloves, allspice berries, all things that are just perfect to add to some water. By using the full form of the flavor, the water gets a hint of cinnamon without dealing with any of the gritty texture of powder in water.
While coming up with these flavors, I had to spend a lot of time in the grocery store just staring at different fruits and spices while thinking about what flavors would go together in a non-overpowering kind of way. After a few very failed attempts, I finally discovered these three combinations that gave a bit of a shock to my taste buds because who knew that adding some spices to water could work out so well and not leave your mouth feeling dryer than it already was.
Liquid Applesauce
- 1-2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Gala Apple
Every year around this time, my mom picks a ton of the apples off of our apple trees out back and then makes some of the most amazing homemade applesauce ever. This was the first flavor I wanted to try to replicate in my water because applesauce is so simple to make and the flavors come in pure whole forms such as a cinnamon stick and fresh apples. If you don’t like a heavy cinnamon taste, I would highly suggest only adding one stick into your water because each one is very potent when they have been allowed to sit for a while.
Spiced Up Pear
- 1-2 teaspoons Allspice
- 1 large Red D’Anjou Pear
This was a bit of an odd ball recipe that was either a hit or a miss for different people. Allspice is a very pungent smell and flavor and can easily overpower the pear if you aren’t careful or are just sensitive to the taste. You may have to make a few batches of this one to find the perfect balance for you personally but once you do, you will be so happy you put in the work.
Citrus Fall
- ½ Navel orange
- 1 Nectarine
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Vanilla Bean, chopped
Now I know I have said that I do not feel like citrus tastes in the fall but I discovered a way to make these flavors heavier and more fall-like, so if you still want your favorite summer fruit to make the transition, this one is definitely your recipe. By combining the flavors of the oranges with vanilla, a bit of the citrus taste is cut out like in a creamsicle and it becomes much richer and then the nectarine and cinnamon allow this water to become a true fall flavored drink.
Are there any flavors that you think would be good to mix together as an infused water for fall? It’s harder than you think so I am always open for new ideas or suggestions so don’t hesitate to send me pictures on twitter or Instagram or just leave a comment below with what flavors you are absolutely adoring this fall.
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