Infused Water 101: Tips, tricks and recipe ideas

After two and a half years of recipe testing, we at BODDELS are now pretty much specialists on the topic of infused water and know exactly what details contribute to a great taste. In this blogpost we’re sharing our best tips & tricks on infused water – make sure to try them out!

Not every type of fruit works so well in infusions. Genereally speaking, softer fruits tend to release their taste and aroma faster in water. Such fruits are citrus fruits (e.g. lemons, limes and oranges), soft berries (like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries), kiwis, pineapple or watermelon.

Speaking of citrus fruits: lemons, oranges and others are very intense in taste and shouldn’t be left in the water all that long. They also leave some residue inside the bottle, but don’t worry – just leave some hot water mixed with dish soap in the bottle for a while and then clean with a bottle brush.

Harder fruits have to infuse a bit longer in order to give up their taste into the water. To help speed up the process, you can squeeze the fruits a bit. Such fruits are blueberries, apples, figs or red currant. That shouldn’t be a reason to leave those fruits out though – if you like your water just slightly fruity, hard fruits are the way to go!

You can combine fruits whatever way you like. We personally like combinations of sweet and sour fruits most – such as the strawberry-lime-mint-water!

Already chosen the fruits? Perfect! Now it’s time to pick the matching condiments. Herbs work very well with most fruits – whether mint, basil, rosemary or lemon balm. Herbs give the water an interesting touch and can be combined with almost any fruit.

Other good condiments, especially during winter, are cinnamon and cloves, since they give the water a nice, christmassy flavour – like the orange-clove-cinnamon-water! If you want to add a little spicy touch, you can put in some ginger – your body will thank you for it!

If you’re into more extravagant ways to pimp up your water, you can also try lavender or rose petals. Fancy, delicious, healthy!

Another extra we can definitely recommend is actually a vegetable – the cucumber! Cucumbers give the water a special kick of freshness. The combination lemon-cucumber-mint is a classic go-to!

A good bottle goes a long way

The right vessel is key when preparing infused water. Of course you can throw all ingredients into a bottle and let them infuse. However, are you really willing to scratch every last mint leaf and some soaked fruits from the bottom afterwards? We definitely aren’t and therefore we created the perfect solution – the SUND glass carafe! You can put all ingredients on the removable fruit skewer. As soon as the water is ready, you can just remove the skewer from the carafe and enjoy your drink!

The infusion time defines the taste

The necessary infusion time depends on the fruits you’re using. For example, water with citrus fruits in it would be ready in 2-3 hours, whereas combinations like kiwi-blackberry should be left overnight. The longer the fruits stay in the water, the more intense the flavour will be. The softer the fruits, the shorter the infusion time.

Ice cold or room temperature – which is better?

Infused water is famously a refreshing beverage and is therefore mostly consumed cold. However, our tests showed that certain types of fruit or herbs only unfold their flavour once the water has reached room temperature. So, whether you enjoy your infusion cold our not, is literally a matter of taste.

A good question to be asking is what to do with the soaked fruits afterwards – after all, they often just look too good to be thrown out.

Eventhough fruits lose most of their taste and their vitamins while infusing, they can still be used in a variety of other drinks or dishes. Soft fruits, e.g. berries, can be added to a smoothie or a jam. Apples can be used in an apple pie and kiwis can be added to a juice. Herbs can be poured over with hot water and enjoyed again as hot tea.

Infused water sets no limits to creativity – fruits, herbs and other condiments can be combined with one another to create a delicious, healthy and refreshing beverage. On our blog, category infused water, you’ll find lots of recipe ideas to try out right away – have fun browsing!

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