Gilly water is a healthy and refreshing infused water that is an easy drink recipe to make for a summertime Harry Potter party, or just because. Let’s be honest, no one needs an excuse to make anything Harry Potter related in my book.
Although I love my Butterbeer as much as the next person after a few of those (especially a delicious Frozen Butterbeer float) I’m in desperate need of some water to flush my system.
Gilly water is a drink sold in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks and also at The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. In book 3, Professor McGonagall orders one on Harry’s secret trip to Hogsmeade where Harry learns who Sirius Black really is.
Luna Lovegood orders one with a slice of onion, but I’ll leave that to Luna. I added lime and a bit of ginger to give it a little extra punch. It’s a refreshing drink option to have for your guests at your Harry Potter party.
Ingredients
- cucumber
- mint
- lime
- sparkling water
- ginger (optional)
Possible substitutions:
The ginger adds a nice extra touch to the water but it’s totally optional.
If you prefer, you can make this with still (aka plain) water instead of the sparkling. I love sparkling water and have also noticed my kids are much more excited about less or no sugar drinks when they have some fizz to them.
How to make this:
- Use a microplane or the small holes on a box grater to zest the lime. Then juice the lime and add both the juice and the lime zest to a large pitcher.
- Using a sprializer, cut the cucumber into noodles. Add the cucumber noodles to the pitcher.
- Fill the pitcher with water before adding in the mint sprigs. Serve chilled.
Top Tips
- If you are making this with still water you can make the gilly water a few hours ahead of time and keep it ready in the fridge.
- When making it with the sparkling water I have noticed that the mint tends to change to black the longer it sits and the cucumber can start to break down. I would only make this about 30 minutes ahead of time.
- Chill your sparkling water ahead of time so it is nice and cold when serving.
- If you are really festive, you can order these gilly water labels and bottle your own to serve. Way cooler than the plain water they serve with the labels at Harry Potter world.
Top Tips for cooking with kids
Spiralizing is SUPER fun for kids. How cool is it to turn something into crazy spiral noodles? The sprializer I have is safe for kids to use and is a simple hand held tool.
If you have a really picky eater, this can be a fun way to give them some no-pressure exposure to cucumbers, mint, and ginger. Touching, smelling, and playing with the foods are all ways to build positive experiences with those ingredients.
If all you can do is get them to touch and or smell the ingredients, call it a win!
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Other recipes you may like:
Recipe inspired by Geeks Who Eat
Equipment
- Spiralizer
- Micrograter
- Citrus reamer
- Paring knife
Ingredients
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/2 ounce fresh mint leaves and stems
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 liter sparkling water
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger optional
Instructions
- Use a microplane or the small holes on a box grater to zest the lime. Then juice the lime and add both the juice and the lime zest to a large pitcher.
- Using a sprializer, cut the cucumber into noodles. Add the cucumber noodles to the pitcher.
- Fill the pitcher with water before adding in the mint sprigs. Serve chilled.
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