Okay, let me tell you about this whole ‘naked drink ingredients’ thing I’ve been doing. It wasn’t like some big plan, really.
Getting Started with Simple Stuff
I just got tired, you know? Tired of looking at drink labels and seeing a list as long as my arm. Stuff I couldn’t even pronounce. Made me wonder what exactly I was putting into my body. Plus, honestly, a lot of those fancy drinks just didn’t make me feel great afterwards. A bit jittery, or just… off.
So, one weekend, I decided to just try making my own stuff. Really simple stuff. Like, ridiculously simple. I figured, how hard could it be? Water, fruit, maybe some herbs from the garden. That’s it. The idea was just to use ingredients that were… well, naked. Nothing hidden, nothing processed into oblivion.
My Kitchen Experiments
My first step was just looking at what I already had. Lemons, limes, some mint growing wild in a pot on the balcony, a few oranges. I started with the absolute basic: water. Filtered water from the tap.
Then I started adding things. Just sliced lemon in water. Okay, refreshing, but kinda boring. Then sliced cucumber. Better! Added some mint leaves I just crushed a bit in my hand first. Now we were talking. It actually tasted clean, you know? Not sugary or fake.
I went through a phase of trying different combinations:
- Water + Orange Slices + Rosemary (surprisingly good!)
- Water + Crushed Raspberries + Lime
- Water + Cucumber + Mint (became a regular)
- Just plain water infused with a cinnamon stick overnight
Sometimes I used sparkling water if I felt like bubbles. The key was no sugar added. If I wanted sweetness, I relied on the fruit itself, like some mashed strawberries or a slice of ripe peach. It wasn’t about making some super healthy elixir, it was just about knowing exactly what was in my glass. Just the ingredient, naked and simple.
What I Found Out
It took a little getting used to, especially cutting back on the sweetness I was accustomed to from store-bought drinks. But pretty quickly, I started noticing I didn’t miss the other stuff. My taste buds kind of woke up. An orange slice in water actually tasted like orange, not some vague ‘citrus flavor’.
It also made me realize how much marketing goes into making us think we need complicated drinks. We don’t. Often, the simplest things are the best. It’s cheaper too, most of the time. A lemon costs way less than a fancy bottled drink.
Now, my routine is pretty straightforward. I often just slice up some citrus or crush some berries and mint into a big pitcher of water in the morning. Sip on it through the day. It’s easy, it tastes good, and I know exactly what’s in it. Just naked ingredients. Feels good, honestly.
