I must confess that my favourite drink is simply a half and half mixture of fruit juice and water. I’ll even admit that we have a name for it in my household – “Juicy Water”. This is one of the reasons I enjoy going out to eat in Germany (aside from the amazing food, of course) because I can order a version of this just about any place we go. It’s a Fruchtschorle, or a fruit juice spritzer, which is sparkling mineral water mixed with fruit juice.
Apfelschorle (apple spritzer) is by far the most popular version. In restaurants, the Fruchschorle choices are typically just apple or black currant (Johannisbeere). At the store there are certainly more ready made varieties available to purchase. Though, it really is easy enough to make at home with whatever fruit juice you like best.
As you can imagine, these apple spritzers are far less sweet and have fewer calories than just straight juice. So it becomes a somewhat healthier alternative that’s really quite refreshing!
A Word about Mineral Water
When I say mineral water, I mean the water that comes from a natural spring or well that is rich in minerals without human intervention. It’s not water that has had minerals and/or carbonation added to it, like club soda, seltzer or tonic water. The type of minerals this natural water contains are calcium, magnesium, potassium and/or bicarbonate. It can also have more sodium than regular water and the amounts vary from spring to spring.
In North America, the only brands of natural mineral water you can easily find are San Pellegrino, Perrier and perhaps Trader Joe’s Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. They all seem to have the same amount of effervescence, which isn’t very much.
In Germany and other parts of Europe, you have three choices to the amount of “gas” or bubbles in your mineral water – little (more akin to San Pellegrino or Perrier), medium or lots (spritzig).
Medium is my favourite, especially for a schorle, because it’s just enough bubbles to make it refreshing for the taste buds but not assertive enough to tickle your nose.
Apple Spritzer (Apfelschorle)
Ingredients:
- Your tastiest apple juice
- Natural mineral water
Mix equal parts into your favourite glass. Feel free to adjust the ratio a little to get it to your perfect personal preference.
Want to try it European style? Drink your apple spritzer without ice cubes or even at room temperature!
Easy peasy, apple squeezy. Cheers and Zum Wohl!
I love your term “Juicy Water”. My mother introduced me to juicy water when I was a youngster. I think we had a different term for it, “being cheap” Or at least that was the impression I got from my friends at that time. Honesty 100% juice is way too rich and sugary, I never took to it. I’ve been drinking juicy water for years and never thought to mix it with mineral water. I’ll have a Apple Spritzer, Please. Yep, Sounds way better out loud.
I dated a girl from Germany, (Bavaria,) and she would cut all her juice with water for breakfast. It’s definitely a cultural thing and took me a little bit to get used to but now even though we aren’t dating it’s something I keep doing. It also saves me a bit o’ cash from not having to buy a few bottles a week.