How do I make flavoured water that actually tastes of something?

Most infused water is disappointing because the ingredients are dropped in whole and left for twenty minutes. Flavour compounds are inside cell walls, so bruising, slicing and time are what actually get them into the water.

What you'll need

• Large jug or bottle
• Fresh fruit and herbs
• Muddler or wooden spoon (optional)

Step by step

1. Choose a combination with one dominant flavour and one supporting.Cucumber and mint, lemon and rosemary, strawberry and basil, ginger and lime. Too many competing flavours read as vague.
2. Use considerably more than feels reasonable.Half a cucumber and a whole handful of mint per litre, not three slices and a leaf.
3. Bruise herbs by slapping them between your palms, and muddle soft fruit lightly.This breaks cell walls and releases the aromatic oils. It's the step that makes the difference.
4. Slice hard fruit thinly to increase surface area.Apple and pear need thin slices and several hours; whole chunks contribute almost nothing.
5. Fill with cold water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.Longer for hard fruit and root ginger, shorter for citrus and soft herbs.
6. Remove citrus peel after 3–4 hours.The pith turns the water bitter if left overnight. The flesh is fine to leave.
7. Strain if you're keeping it beyond a day.Fruit left in the water breaks down and goes cloudy.
8. Drink within 2–3 days and keep it refrigerated throughout.It's an unpreserved fruit infusion — treat it like fresh juice.

Tips

• Warm the ingredients briefly in a little hot water first, then top up with cold. Heat extracts faster and you still end up with a cold drink.
• Frozen fruit works well and chills the drink at the same time. The freezing has already broken the cell walls for you.
• Ginger, rosemary and citrus peel are the strongest infusers — a small amount goes a long way.
• A splash of the infusion in sparkling water is more interesting than a flat jug, and uses less fruit per glass.

Common mistakes

• Adding ingredients whole — The flavour compounds stay inside the cell walls. Bruise, slice or muddle first.
• Using too little — Three slices of lemon in a litre is barely detectable. Be generous.
• Leaving citrus peel in overnight — The pith turns the whole jug bitter.
• Leaving it at room temperature — It's unpreserved fruit in water. Keep it cold and drink it within a few days.

Questions people ask