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When normal water won’t cut it, let your inner mixologist come out to play. There are plenty of drinks you can make with water that will appease your tastebuds. Just keep in mind — for the best taste, you’ll want to skip ordinary tap water.

Why Tap Water Won’t Cut It

Think twice before using tap water to make an alcoholic drink, mocktail, or other delicious concoction. That’s because ordinary, unfiltered tap water can sometimes contain contaminants, chemicals, and minerals that affect its taste.

For example, municipal water is commonly treated with chlorine or chloramine. While these reduce bacteria levels, they can sometimes leave behind a pool water smell and taste. That’s not exactly the flavor you want in your beverage!

Drinks You Can Make With Filtered Water

Instead of going the tap water route, make sure you use filtered water in the following recipes for drinks you can enjoy in the spring and summer months.

Lemonade

There’s nothing much more refreshing than a tall glass of lemonade on a hot, sunny day. And is as easy as it gets. Just take 1 cup of water and boil it with 1 ¾ cups of sugar. Then, cut up and squeeze your lemons to get 1.5 cups of fresh juice. Finally, combine the lemon juice and simple syrup with 7 cups of ice cold filtered water.

Iced Matcha Latte

Feeling green? You need matcha in your life. This green tea powder makes an . Just whisk 2 teaspoons of matcha powder in 2 tablespoons of hot water, then pour in another cup of water and chill the mixture for 15 minutes. When you’re ready to serve, fill a glass with ice, milk, matcha, and sweetener, and stir to combine.

Homemade Iced Tea

Imagine sitting on your front porch as the sun sets, sipping a glass of . Make that vision a reality by brewing your favorite hot tea in boiling water, using extra leaves or bags since you’ll be watering it down with ice. Strain out any leaves, let it cool a little bit, and then transfer it to a pitcher with ice for serving. Add sweetener, mint, or fruit puree for flavoring!

Summer Fruits Medley

Get in a serving of fruit while staying hydrated with one of our suggested summer fruits medleys. Mix citrus and berry when you chop up a pint of strawberries, one lime, half a cucumber, and fresh mint and add them to ice water. Or, try something with a kick when you take 4 cups of pineapple and 8 pieces of ginger and smash it all into your glass.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Part smoothie and part fruit juice, is the best of both worlds. Put a summery twist on the idea by blending up 4 cups of watermelon and ½ cup of water until smooth. Add some sugar to taste, then muddle some lime and mint in a glass. Pour the watermelon agua fresca on top, and mix everything together for a delicious treat.