Thursday, March 17, 2011

beautiful herbal drinking water

                                                                                                     sage water

Most of us have floated mint leaves and lemon slices in water. Or the first Spring leaves of lemon balm. But have you ever used sage leaves?

I picked up Mark Sisson's The Primal Blueprint Cookbook at the library and while fanning through the pages, the making of sage water jumped out. It's the drinking water served at a farm-to-table restaurant, The Linkery, in San Diego. Very simply, you fill a glass or pitcher with cool water and infuse it with sage leaves for a few hours. The sage is wonderfully subtle, yet there, and nicely refreshing. I will be making this often.

                                                                                    lemon thyme & english thyme

Tried out a couple of other unlikely herbs while I was at it. The left is lemon thyme and the right is English thyme. I really liked these, too -- especially the English thyme -- not what I expected, for sure. The flavors of a cold infusion are different from a hot one. If a taste could be described as beautiful, that's how I would put it. Beautiful.

Sage and thyme in water, who'da thunk? I can't wait to experience (because that's really what it is, an experience) other herbal drinking waters -- basil, oregano, rosemary -- it's endless.

I'm realizing the more I know about herbs, the more I know I don't know and the more I know that I don't know. Do you make any unusual infusions?

Also posted at Food Renegade.

6 comments:

  1. Yum, very interesting. I'll be trying it for sure. I've only ever done mints, maybe basil. I have put a few tablespoons of an herbal distillate into a glass of water though which can be delicious! Lemon balm being a favorite.

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  2. Cindy, hmmm, I'll have to try that, think I have some distillate in my cupboard. Might be too old though, is about 5 years old??

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  3. Love sage but, I think basil/water would be a wonderful summer drink.

    great idea! thank you <3

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  4. Have you ever tried rosemary lemonade? Oh yum!

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  5. Deb, I haven't had that yet but it sounds yum, I love rosemary. Have only had lavender lemonade, herbal-wise.

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  6. Marie, I agree, basil sounds very appealing -- and I always have too much of it so this would be a good way to use it up!

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