9 ways to make water tasty

Use these infusions to give your water a boost.
Published June 22, 2023

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.