5 Steps To Make Infused Water
Now its time to take some action and put your imagination and creation skills to work! The only rule to start making infused water is to experiment and have fun! Choose the ingredients you crave and try new things each time. To start making infused water you can use a Mason jar or buy a fruit infused water bottle or pitcher, there are so many styles and colors to pick from that you will want them all!
Step 1. Water.
You can start by buying the best quality water! Every bottle of water that you buy has a label with a number followed by the letters ppm (parts per million), this means how many solid substances your water contains. Some brands of water have 300 plus ppm and that’s something you should be aware of. A good brand of water that you can buy in the grocery store is Dasani water, purified by reverse osmosis. It contains <30 ppm. If you live in the GTA I highly recommend H2Only, they use reverse-osmosis as well to purify their water, achieving 0-2ppm. That is the cleanest water I have found! Awesome right?
I do not recommend using sparkling water all the time, but if you are hosting and event and you feel like adding that extra fuzz, then go ahead and impress your guests!
Step 2. Fruit.
Use as many fruits as you want and try to buy as many organic products as you can. Some examples of delicious fruits for your infusions are:
Berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cherries.
Citrus*: lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, tangerines, etc.
Melons: watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
Tropical: mango, banana, kiwi, star fruit, pomegranate seeds, etc.
Other: apples, pears, plums, grapes, peaches, nectarines etc.
* Remember to peel the skin of the citrus fruits to avoid a bitter taste.
Step 3. Vegetables.
Not all vegetables will add as much flavor as fruit does. My personal favorites are: cucumbers, celery, carrots and believe it or not, peppers (hot or sweet) they add a unique taste to my water!
Step 4. Herbs & Spices.
You can get creative and pick anything you like. Remember you have to be careful not to overdo these wonderful herbs and spices because they do add a strong flavor, unless that is what you are looking for. The herbs I like the most are: mint, rosemary, lavender, cilantro, thyme, basil and sage. As for the spices, I really enjoy cinnamon (use cinnamon sticks), ginger, rosemary and black pepper
*How many ingredients per ounce? You can use as much as you like!
Step 5. Blending it all together.
First of all remove the skin of fruits like: melons, mango, banana, kiwi, apples, peaches, nectarines, pears and citrus fruits. Cut the fruits and/or vegetables into smaller pieces, together with the spices or herbs, add them to you Mason jar, fruit infused water bottle or pitcher, and slightly mash them. Add cold water and voilà !
You can store your infusions in whatever works for you, just make sure to keep them in the fridge while you are not drinking them, that way the flavor lasts longer!
Recipes. (// Indicate OR)
Strawberry + cucumber + lime + mint
Pineapple + cinnamon
Cucumber + lemon + lime + mint//basil//cilantro (great refresher)
Cherries + lime + mint
Apple + cinnamon
Cucumber + watermelon + mint//rosemary
Carrots + apple + lemon + ginger
Raspberry + lemon + rosemary
Mandarin + orange + cilantro
Mango//lemon + ginger (great for cramps)
Celery + pomegranate + sage
Banana + strawberry
Tangerine + pear + lemon + hot green pepper + cilantro
Strawberries + grapefruit + sage
Blackberries + raspberries + strawberries + mint
As you can see the combinations are unlimited! If you have a favorite recipe of your own I would love if you share it with me! Have fun while quenching your thirst!
