“Rita looked disparagingly at Luna. “I’m guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?” she said. “‘Twenty-five Ways to Mingle with Muggles’ and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly-Sale” “No,” said Luna, dipping her onion back into her gillywater, “he’s the editor of The Quibbler.”” – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
What is Gillywater?
Though it’s not clear exactly what the book version of Gillywater is comprised of, one can assume that it likely includes a base of gillyweed and water. In the books, gillyweed is a magical plant that, when eaten, temporarily “gives the consumer gills, allowing them to breathe underwater, and webbing between the fingers and toes, allowing them to swim underwater with ease.”
In book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dobby gives Harry Gillyweed before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament so that he can dive into the Black Lake to rescue the captives. It is described as resembling “a bundle of slimy, grey-green rat tails.”
A delicious version for Muggles
Because gillyweed doesn’t exist outside of the Harry Potter world, my version includes an infusion of fresh cucumber in place of the “slimy, grey-green rat tails” combined with mint, lime, and your choice of sparkling or flat water. My version won’t give you gills or webbed toes, but it’s delicious and refreshing on a warm day while you devour the Harry Potter books for the thousandth time.
Special equipment
I used both a channel knife/zester combo and a vegetable peeler to prepare the cucumber for this recipe, but either works great if you only have one or the other. If neither of these are handy, you can simply slice the cucumbers, mint, and lime with a traditional prep knife and still enjoy the same infused flavors without the Harry Potter flair.
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A note for special diets
This Gillywater recipe is grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and friendly for Paleo, Keto, Low-FODMAP, Whole30, and Vegan diets.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARRY POTTER CONTENT?
I’m celebrating Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s birthdays on July 31st by filling the month with all things Potter. Check back regularly this month to see additional Harry Potter recipes and content linked HERE.
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Gillywater
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 gallon 1x
- Category: Drinks & Libations
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 1/2 cup mint sprigs
- 2 limes
- 1 galllon flat or sparkling water
Instructions
- Using a channel knife or vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise reserving both the peel and the flesh until you reach the seedy middle, then stop.
- Using a citrus peeler, peel the zest from the limes into curls if desired (you may omit these). Juice the limes and reserve.
- Add the cucumber peel, springs of mint, and lime juice and zest to a large pitcher, then add cold water to top.
- The longer the fruit steeps in the water, the more flavor is infused. If using flat water you can allow the ingredients to mingle for 30 minutes in the fridge first. However, if you are using sparkling water, I would choose to serve immediately to retain the carbonation.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8oz
- Calories: 1
I remember gillywater from the HP books but never knew what it’d be like. I love your imaginative muggle version of the Harry Potter drink! This absolutely sounds delicious – and looks pretty, too.
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What an inventive drink! Love the creativity with this interpretation of gillywater. So fun!
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This sounds so refreshing! I feel like even my toddler would enjoy it solely based on how fun the sliced cucumbers look 🙂
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What a fun Harry Potter themed recipe! It looks super refreshing too!
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Somehow I think I’m going to like your version of this drink much better than Harry Potter’s version. It looks like a refreshing summer elixir!
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I keep stumbling on your recipes in various FB threads and I just wanted to say that they always make me smile. I absolutely love Harry Potter and love all the food references in the series so all your HP posts are so fun to see! Keep on making more HP foods!
I have one HP recipe coming up (closer to Halloween) so I’ll be sure to link to your as they are so great!
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Thanks, Julia! It’s always fun to create new recipes around my favorite book series. I can’t wait to see your recipe in October!
I have all the ingredients for this fun drink. I am a huge Harry Potter fan. The grandkids are here this week. I know they would love this. Fun for the adults and kids alike.
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Perfect timing! I hope they love it!
I love all your Harry Potter recipes! I’m making a big pitcher of this for this weekend!
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This looks absolutely refreshing with cool cucumber and mint! My kids loved Harry Potter growing up, and I think this would be a great addition to any fans birthday party! Really cute idea, and the related recipes look just as cool.
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Another great thematic recipe. So fun! This is such a refreshing idea for any day, but especially for summer entertaining. Going to make up a batch for our block party.
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How fun! And refreshing! I love cucumber water but I’ve never added mint, what a great idea and totally Gill producing! 😜
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Oh my goodness! My HP fans think this is the coolest recipe ever–as do I! Super refreshing on a hot summer day.
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