Fall spices, herbs and fruits come together in a pitcher of Thanksgiving Infused Spa Water to make a stunning centerpiece for your holiday table.
About this Thanksgiving Infused Water recipe
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. Do you have your drinks all figured out?
When I stock my bar for a party, I always try to have beer, wine, a few spirits and mixers, plus a signature cocktail and a mocktail.
The signature cocktail can be anything from a batch of pomegranate yule mules to spiced apple cider rum punch to cranberry mimosas.
And the mocktail? It doesn’t have to be boring. You can make cocktails with zero-proof alcohol or choose to skip the alcohol altogether and make something like my family’s favorite Russian tea.
I also like to have some fancy water on the table. People need to stay hydrated, especially if carbs, booze and smoked turkey are involved! This Thanksgiving infused water is just the ticket. It will wow your guests and they’ll want more and more!
What is infused water?
Infused water, also called spa water, is water that’s soaked with fresh fruits, fresh herbs and/or spices. After a few hours of infusion, the water will take on the flavor of the additions.
For example, this strawberry basil infused spa water adopts the flavors of fresh berries and fresh basil. Veggies work too, as you’ll find out with this refreshing cucumber lemon and mint spa water.
Infused water is most often served in summertime. But I thought… why limit it to the warm months? I want to try it for Thanksgiving!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Your guests are going to love this flavorful, refreshing beverage with all the flavors of Thanksgiving.
- This Thanksgiving infused spa water a fun way to make something as simple as water feel fancier without a lot of effort or expense.
- Thanksgiving infused water is a stunning centerpiece for your holiday spread.
- It’s easy! Just soak fresh fruits, herbs and spices into drinking water for at least an hour before your guests arrive.
Ingredients
For the best spa water, I recommend using filtered water rather than tap water for a purer taste. I use this water filter pitcher in my kitchen.
You can use bottled water or water from your fridge. However, tap water is totally fine!
You can also use sparkling water, but I recommend serving it right away if you do to keep the carbonation fresh.
There are a ton of ingredients you can soak in your Thanksgiving infused spa water. I would suggest using at least one herb, one spice and one fruit, but a medley will provide a more complex flavor.
- apple slices (red or green)
- orange slices
- pear slices (bartlett, bosco or Asian pear)
- lime slices
- lemon slices
- fresh cranberries
- pomegranate seeds
- whole cinnamon sticks
- whole star anise
- fresh rosemary sprigs
- fresh thyme sprigs
- fresh sage leaves
You will also need ice. I use the ice from my fridge, but you can also pick up a bag of ice the night before or make your own in trays.
How to make Thanksgiving Spa Water
To prepare a pitcher of icy Thanksgiving spa water, you’ll need a paring knife, a cutting board, good kitchen shears, an ice maker and a pitcher.
You can use any pitcher you have. I use this tall and skinny 90-ounce glass pitcher.
Feel free to dump all your ice and fruits in the pitcher and top with water. By no means do you have to make yours look like mine!
But if you’d like to get the layered look I used in mine, here’s what to do:
- Prepare all your fruit and herbs.
- Put 1 or 2 cups of ice into your pitcher. You don’t want to fill it the whole way.
- Wedge the fruits, herbs and spices around the edges of the pitcher, so that the ice holds them in place.
- Add more ice, and repeat with another layer of fruit around the edges. Continue this process until you reach the 3/4 mark. If serving immediately, continue to the top.
- Add water and fill to the 3/4 mark.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Some ice will melt. Add more ice, fruit, herbs and spices to get the look you want, then top with water.
Spa water recipes for the holidays
This pretty winter citrus spa water uses grapefruit, blood orange, orange and lemons.
With reds and greens as the starring roles, Christmas spa water is also a stunner for holiday parties!
Another way you can dress up water for the holidays is to make some berry ice cubes with cranberries or pomegranate seeds if you like.
— Did you make this recipe? —
Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.
Let me know if you try this recipe for Thanksgiving! Tag me on Instagram at @feastandwest.
Thanksgiving Infused Spa Water
ingredients
- 8 cups ice
- 1 navel orange sliced
- 1 lime sliced
- 1 apple sliced
- 6 sprigs rosemary washed
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 20 cranberries washed
- 8 cups water
instructions
- Fill your pitcher ¼-full of ice (about 2 cups).
- Wedge some of the fruit slices, berries, rosemary and cinnamon sticks around the edges of the pitcher, so that the ice holds them in place.
- Add more ice, and repeat with another layer of fruit around the edges.
- If serving later, continue until you reach the 3/4 mark. Add water and fill to the 3/4 mark. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Some ice will melt. Add more ice, fruit, herbs and spices to get the look you want, then top with water.
- If serving immediately, continue to the top, and fill with fresh water.
- As the water is enjoyed, you can top the pitcher off with more water and ice, if desired.
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