Someone turned up the furnace, so let’s turn up the hydration.
Happy Friday, kids! Keeping up with the biweekly sober drink options, specifically those which come in a pitcher. This time of year I love having chilled beverages at the ready in my fridge so I can pour a glass upon returning from a romp in the pool.
This week, I’m offering up a wonderful electrolyte drink in this Green Apple Summer Hydrator. I chug down GU tablets and Magna packets like no one’s business, and this beautifully-hued bev is a great alternative for budget-friendly health. Those electrolyte drinks can get pricy after awhile, so a homemade version can be a helpful thing to have in your back pocket.
So what does this entail? Lots of apples, a touch of lemon, a hint of sweetness, and a balance of minerals thanks to kosher salt and coconut water. Pour a glass on a hot day and feel a little less swathed in summer heat.
It’s like an ice bath for your insides, except not nearly as jarring, and far more appealing.
Green with Envy
I chose green apples for this recipe simply because I wanted to make the drink green. Plus, I almost never buy Granny Smith apples and it felt like a fun deviation from my culinary norm.
Now that you’ve purchased, washed, cored, and sliced your apples, toss them in your blender with half a cucumber (this is mostly for color, but also offers extra H2O and some nutrients!), mint leaves, and a bit of water to help move things along. Blitz until completely pureed.
Strain the liquid through a sieve, getting as much juice out as possible while filtering away the pulp.
Add the juice to a large pitcher along with coconut water, filtered cold water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and kosher salt. You want to use a coarser variety of salt else you might end up with unintentionally heightened blood pressure and the urge to vomit. Stir it all up, and taste to adjust sweetness and saltiness as needed.
Cover the pitcher and refrigerate at least an hour. I do recommend pre-chilling this one since the flavors combine much better over time.
When you’re ready, pour some into a glass, garnish with apple slices and mint leaves to feel like you’re sipping on a summer cocktail – when really, you’re looking after your health, queen – and enjoy a sit on the porch or your couch.
Browning? The drink may brown a little bit over a few days. You can counteract this by adding 1 teaspoon of matcha powder. This won’t effect the flavor – trust me, if it did, as a matcha hater I would not recommend this course of action.
Leftovers? Your pitcher will taste great up to a week in the fridge. Well, not the pitcher itself, the drink in the pitcher.
Alternative sweeteners? You can use honey or regular sugar instead. I’d recommend creating a simple syrup out of either by combining with an equal amount of water and simmering on the stovetop.
Stay hydrated, my friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
For your pitcher:
green apple summer hydrator
Ingredients
- 4 green apples, cored and quartered, plus more for serving
- 1/2 medium cucumber
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus more or serving
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, to taste
- 4 cups coconut water
- 2 cups cold filtered water
- 1 1/2-2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the green apples, cucumber, mint, and 1/2-1 cup of water. Puree until smooth.. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the fibrous bits.
- Pour the apple juice into a large pitcher, then stir in the lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut water, filtered water, and salt. Taste and adjust salt and sweetness as needed. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.
- Pour the chilled drink into a glass and garnish with more apple slices and fresh mint, as desired.
