Summer is officially here, and with rising temperatures comes a greater need to stay hydrated. Your body loses more fluids during the summer months than any other time of the year, meaning it’s far too easy to become thirsty and even more of a necessity to drink plenty of water. 

As well as beating the heat, drinking more water helps you to stay healthy. Whether you’re a lover of H20 or not, hitting those water targets, particularly when you need to drink extra in summer, isn’t easy.

Drinking fruit infused or detox water is one way to keep staying hydrated super tasty without becoming overloaded with sugar and calories. Infused water unlocks numerous health benefits, including improved appetite control, better immunity, blood sugar regulation and weight management. 

There are also countless infused water recipes to try, and summer brings a whole new bunch of fruity flavours. Here, we reveal our top 5 summer inspired infused water flavours…

1. Strawberry & mint

Nothing says summer like this refreshing fruit combination. Strawberry, lime, cucumber and mint work so well together, offering a mojito style taste that can be enjoyed all day. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare. 

Simply slice and add a small handful of all the ingredients to filtered water and leave for a few hours (or overnight if you like the flavour a little stronger). If it’s a particularly hot day, add ice cubes and enjoy the drink chilled.

2. Watermelon & basil

Add a herby twist to your summer drink with watermelon and basil infused water. All you need is two slices of melon and a handful of basil to create this powerful and utterly hydrating beverage. Again, filtered water is the best base to create your fruit infused flavour. Simply cut your slices of watermelon into smaller pieces and crush your basil before adding it to water to infuse.

Not so keen on using watermelon? This recipe works perfectly with strawberries. Use 4 to 6 strawberries and a slice lemon to achieve the same satisfying tang.

3. Cranberry & blood orange

Citrus fruits always work well in infused water but you can make your drink extra healthy and tasty by adding cranberries to the mix. Blood oranges may bring the flavour but cranberries have been associated with some amazing health benefits as Healthline (@Healthline) details:

“Cranberries have impressive health benefits. They have an excellent nutrition profile, being rich in vitamin C, manganese, vitamin E, vitamin K1 and copper. They also contain a significant amount of antioxidants called flavanol polyphenols, which can improve health. What makes cranberries unique from other fruits is that their juices and extracts help prevent urinary tract infections.”

To create your own cranberry and blood orange drink, slice one blood orange and one lemon – before adding them to 2 litres of water with a handful of fresh cranberries. Infusion takes just 20 minutes, with this fruity combination, which means you can enjoy this drink sooner than most detox water recipes.

4. Pomegranate & tarragon

When thinking of a summer inspired drink, your mind won’t necessary wander to tarragon. But when combined with pomegranate, this provides an unforgettable flavour. Sweet with a hint of liquorice, pomegranate and tarragon water has great detoxifying benefits thanks to its high vitamin C content.

Use 1 pomegranate and a small handful of fresh tarragon, and leave to infuse for 30 minutes to get that great taste. Again you can infuse overnight for stronger flavour.

5. Pineapple & jalapeño

Unbeknown to most, jalapeños are packed full of the good stuff with vitamin C, K, E and B complex, plus manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium all found in this spicy ingredient.

Jalapeños also make amazing drinks, especially when combined with pineapple and lemon. Use 1/8 of a pineapple, ½ a lemon, and 4 thin slices of jalapeño with their seeds removed to make this summer inspired recipe. No need to steep the fruit either, just give it a good shake – and enjoy straight away.