Make your own infused water

Add fruits, herbs, and cucumbers to a jug of water for a refreshing, naturally flavoured drink with zero sugar.

Time:: 30 min
Cost:: low
Difficulty:: easy
Where:: Indoors
Best:: Solo

Most attempts to make your own infused water produce something that tastes faintly of nothing, and people conclude the idea does not work. Two things fix it: bruising the ingredients so they actually release flavor, and giving it several hours rather than twenty minutes.

Why make your own infused water is worth an hour

Flavor compounds sit inside cell walls, and cold water extracts them slowly through intact skin. Crushing herbs and slicing fruit thinly increases the surface area dramatically, which is why bar staff always muddle. Time then does the rest, and refrigerating overnight extracts considerably more than an afternoon on the counter.

How to make your own infused water step by step

1
Slice fruit thinly
Thin slices have far more surface area than chunks. This alone roughly doubles how much flavor you get.
2
Bruise the herbs
Press mint or basil between your palms until you smell it. Whole leaves release almost nothing.
3
Use cold water and refrigerate
Warm water extracts faster but goes cloudy and spoils quickly. Cold and slow gives a cleaner result.
4
Infuse for several hours
Overnight is ideal for firm fruit and citrus peel. Twenty minutes on the counter is precisely why most attempts disappoint.
5
Remove citrus after a few hours
The pith turns bitter if left too long. Everything else can stay in the jug.

Tips to get more out of it

Combine one fruit, one herb and one aromatic rather than piling everything in. Cucumber, mint and lime works far better than four fruits together.
Drink it within a day or two and keep it refrigerated throughout. Fresh produce sitting in water is a genuine food safety consideration.
Freeze fruit into ice cubes as an alternative approach. They flavor the drink gradually as they melt rather than all at once.

Ways to mix it up

If you want more intensity, make a strong infusion and dilute it, which extracts better than infusing a full jug weakly. If you want something with more character, cold-brewed herbal tea gives depth that fruit alone does not.