Let’s face it: We know we should drink more water. But when it doesn’t really taste like anything, what’s the draw? Health benefits are great and all, but make water taste sweet, or refreshing, or spicy and you might drink more. Use the infusions below to satisfy your tastebuds while quenching your thirst. (All recipes are for 2 quarts of water unless otherwise noted.)
Sweet sips
Berry blast
Mull ½ cup of sliced strawberries, ½ cup of raspberries, and ½ cup of blueberries. Add ice and either flat or sparkling water. Serve.
Tropical breeze
In a pitcher, put ½ cup of cubed mango, juice from half of a lime, and 3 torn basil leaves. Add ice and flat water. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Watermelon water
Mash 1 cup of cubed watermelon, juice from half of a lime, and 3 torn mint leaves. Add ice and either flat or sparkling water.
Make it spicy
Margarita-ish
In a pitcher, mash one peeled and seeded cucumber and one seeded and sliced jalapeño pepper. Add ice and flat water. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Spicy tart
Mull one lemon. Add water and ice, then stir in 1 tsp. cayenne pepper. Serve.
Peachy ginger
Mull one peach. Add water and ice, then stir in 8 thin slices of peeled ginger. Serve.
Spa
Cucumber cool
In a pitcher, put one cucumber that is peeled, seeded, and sliced with 10 torn mint leaves and the juice of half of a lime. Add ice and flat water. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Burr blues
Mull ½ cup of blueberries, ½ lime, and 3 torn basil leaves at the bottom of a pitcher. Add ice and either flat or sparkling water.
(Honey)dew it up right
Stir 3 cups of cubed honeydew and 1 cup of halved grapes. Add ice and flat water. Refrigerate for 2 hours.