I stopped drinking soda when I started drinking spring water. The closest I ever came to consuming soda was when I sipped my home brewed kombucha (because man, oh man, does mine fizz up).
But then I was sent a present. Sodastream Canada sent me a Play Sparkling Water Maker and I was intrigued. I was ready to make my water twinkle, sparkle and shine. The game had been changed and I got to work crafting up epic simple syrups and fresh fruit blends. I quickly became a self-declared, award-winning UnDiet Mixologist.
If you’ve attended any of my lectures, webinars, or made it to the third chapter of my book, you know that I declare water drinking among the top five things you can do to change your health (and we know that when our health changes, our world changes). And whenever I suggest to audiences that they should drink more water, invariably the question comes back: But what if I don’t like water?
Saying you don’t like drinking water is pretty much the equivalent of saying you don’t like breathing air. Water isn’t something you need to like. It’s simply something you must consume. In UnDiet, I offer simple and delicious solutions to help you drink up more water.
Now, I have another solution to add to the list: make it sparkle!
Over the long weekend a few weeks ago, that is just what I did. I sparkled up my water using my Play Sparkling Water Maker and made a most awesome Mocktail.
I started with grapefruit because I had a big and mighty organic one. Grapefruit is a super food on its own, but the zest of an organic grapefruit? Watch out!
Health Benefits of Grapefruit Zest
- Rich in bromelain – a super enzyme that helps digest protein and when consumed on an empty stomach, it will bring down inflammation.
- It has a power pack of antioxidants with over 60 different types of flavanoids, which are pretty much the body’s magic unicorns that keep us looking young and fresh, ward off sun damage, and keep our bodies humming.
- Gram for gram, the peel of a grapefruit has higher levels of many vitamins and minerals than the fruit itself.
- The natural occurring bitterness of the peel promotes digestive juice production.
In addition to the grapefruit peel, I chopped up some fresh turmeric root.
I won’t delve into the power of turmeric root too much as I discuss it at length here, here and here.
I then added the chopped grapefruit zest and chopped turmeric to a bowl of coconut sugar and mashed the shizzle out of it until the oils began to release and mix with the sugar.
It was then time to cook my syrup, mixing the sugar mixture with water and lightly simmering it. As SodaStream’s machines don’t need to be plugged in – the CO2 cylinders take care of the fizzing – I set up my Mocktail Mixing station outside.
I filled the bottle with fresh spring water and then hooked it into the machine and made it sparkle. This part was super fun.
Then it was time to mix.
I kept my drink pretty simple, using only a couple of taplespoons of my Grapefruit Cinnamon Syrup and a squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice. This is a perfect summer sipper to enjoy in the sunshine!
And voila! Just like that I now have a new answer when someone tells me they don’t like to drink water: Make it sparkle!
Don’t these mocktails look enticing? At first I thought this new syrup mix, along with my Simple Spriced Elderberry Syrup, would be this summer’s soda mixer staples. Then I got to thinking about a strawberry rhubarb mix, a cucumber lemonade, a basil and berry blend, and well, perhaps this is only the beginning…
Grapefruit Cinnamon Syrup
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
A simple syrup made from grapefruit zest, turmeric root and ground cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 2 heaping Tbsp of chopped or grated grapefruit zest
- 1 Tbsp chopped turmeric root (or 1 tsp dried powder)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the grapefruit zest, turmeric and sugar. Using a wooden spoon or mallet, mash them together until the oils release.
- Transfer to a small pot, and stir in the water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Remove from heat, and allow to cool before pouring through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the pulp.
- Will keep in a glass jar in the fridge for 2 weeks.
- Cuisine: Beverage
Grapefruit Cinnamon Soda
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Total Time: 3 mins
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
Description
A bitter and sweet soda, using a grapefruit zest simple syrup.
Ingredients
(Per Drink)
- 2 Tbsp Grapefruit Cinnamon Syrup
- 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
- 1/2 cup ice (or additional 1/2 cup soda)
- 1 cup soda water
Instructions
- In a tall glass, stir together the syrup and fresh juice, add ice and pour your soda over top.
- Mix well and enjoy.
- Category: Beverage
Happy summer, my friends!
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