I know, I know, you’d never purchase just plain bottled water, but you crave that special energizing-oxidizing-ginger-ginseng-koalaberry flavor only available wrapped in plastic!

Fret no more, now you can have your tap water and flavor it too. There’s just one caveat, it may involve some preparation as they are “crafted with the care of sophisticated cocktails.” Ms. Bazs, one of our favorite quality-minded style-mavens, tips us to this entry at www.tastingtable.com:

Water 2.0
A new book elevates the most essential beverage

We applauded ourselves when we switched from canned soda to flavored water, but then we read that these colorful elixirs are just as loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients (not to mention their carbon footprints). Plus they’re expensive. Now what?

Thanks to a new book, you now can make healthy flavored waters at home. Cool Waters, by New York-based food stylist Brian Preston-Campbell, contains 50 recipes for water-based drinks that are full of all-natural ingredients.

Crafted with the care of sophisticated cocktails, the recipes range from post-workout quenchers to complex, food-friendly pairings, including the antioxidant-rich Wet/Dry, a berry-flavored drink made exclusively with dried fruit. It’s become our new predinner drink for nights when wine is out of the question.