Recovery Drinks..Powder or water first?

Either will work when the bottle is 1/2 full and you can give it a vigorous shake.

However, here is a routine that I have adopted that really works well for me to get the recovery drink consumed quickly and immediately get into my post workout stretching and rolling routine that I do after every workout without having to waste precious time going to the kitchen to prepare and consume the recovery drink:

Pre-workout: Prepare an extra water bottle (or cup with lid) 1/2 - 2/3 of water. Put into a snack baggie the recovery powder. Since I workout in my garage, I put both on my workbench.

Post workout: I grab a knife or a scissors and empty the baggie contents into my bottle; shake and consume. In 2-3 minutes I have gone from workout to post workout stretching and rolling routine.