Flavor Infused Water

july-15-article1by Vanessa Greaves

Infusing water with the essence of fruits, herbs, and other botanicals helps you drink plenty of liquids without excess calorie, sugar, and artificial flavoring intake.  It is nutrition and hydration combined in every refreshing sip.

Before you get started, there are a few essentials you should know to make sure each sip of infused water is as good—and good for you—as it can be.

 

Ingredients

Choose organic when you can.  Wash produce and rinse herbs to remove chemicals, pesticides, and other residues.

 

Water

Use cold or room temperature filtered water.  Hot water makes produce fall apart faster and can compromise the nutrients you are trying to coax out of the ingredients.

 

Vessels

Glass, plain and simple.  You can splurge on purpose-built infusing pitchers and bottles, but you do not have to.  Spend on fresh produce instead.

 

Preparation Tips

Softer fruits like citrus and strawberries can be sliced thick, thin, halved, or quartered.  Harder fruits like apples should be very thinly sliced because they take longer to release flavors.

Crush fibrous ginger root, rosemary, and lemongrass with a muddler or wooden spoon; tear or crush leafy herbs like mint, basil, and cilantro to release their oils.

Loose herbs and flowers—lavender, rose petals, dried hibiscus—can be corralled in a tea infuser or cheesecloth.

 

Soak Time / Temperature

Infuse water at room temperature for no more than 2 hours.  After that, place in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.

Cucumbers, citrus fruits, melons, and mint add flavor almost immediately.  Apples, cinnamon, fresh ginger root, and rosemary need an overnight soak in the refrigerator.

Melons and sliced strawberries start looking waterlogged after a few hours; citrus, and whole berries look pretty good even after hours in the fridge.

After 4 hours, unpeeled citrus can make water taste bitter.  To make a big jug of infused water for a party, peel the citrus before soaking.  Or you can soak it unpeeled for 4 hours, remove it, and add fresh slices for looks.  (Keep water icy cold for food safety.)

If you do not drink the water within 24 hours, strain out the solids and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To keep sipping all day long, refill your infused water container when it is half full.  It will be weaker than your first drink, but still flavorful.

 

Favorite Pairings

Keep it simple.  Think of flavor combinations you like in other recipes and build from there.  Here are some ideas to get you started:

Cucumber + Lime + Strawberry + Mint

Lemon + Raspberry + Rosemary

Orange + Blueberry + Basil

Lime + Ginger Root + Basil

Watermelon + Honeydew + Mint

Cucumber + Mint + Jalapeno

Lemon + Thyme

Orange + Hibiscus + Star Anise

Orange + Cinnamon + Cardamom + Cloves

Pear + Fennel

 

Other Delicious Add-Ins:

Fruits and Vegetables

Apples Beets Bell Peppers

Blackberries Cantaloupe Carrots

Celery Cherries Grapefruit

Grapes Kiwi Mangos

Nectarines Peaches Pineapples

Plums Tangerines

 

Herbs, Spices, and Florals

Cilantro Lavender Lemon Verbena Lemongrass Parsley Rose Petals

Vanilla Bean

 

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