The Simple Tip To Follow When Making Fruit-Infused Sparkling Water

While there is a breadth of flavored sparkling waters you could buy at the grocery store, some brands just fall flat in their flavor delivery or are overly sweet and artificial-tasting. Luckily, you can make your own fruit-infused sparkling water at home to quench your thirst for a flavorful bubbly beverage while using fresh ingredients. Key to making your own infused sparkling water, though, is to gently mix mashed fruit, syrups, or natural essences in without over-agitating the bubbly water. This is achieved by gently applying what's referred to as the "lift" method.

As the name implies, lifting your fruit infusion ingredients involves adding them to your glass, pouring in a sparkling water of choice, then using a long spoon or bar spoon to lift and softly stir the fruit or fruit syrup from the bottom of the cup into the water. This distribution technique is key since you shouldn't shake or overly stir carbonated beverages. Otherwise, the waters' signature bubbles will burst and deflate, resulting in a flat drink with poor mouthfeel and taste. Basically, the lift method is akin to using a spatula to gently fold flour into cake batter without deflating the aerated eggs. With sparkling water, the idea is the same — "lifting" helps infuse and distribute fruit mix-ins while keeping the drink's bubbles intact.

When making fruit-infused carbonated drinks, it's important to prepare your ingredients so they can release their flavors easily and quickly while the water is still sparkling. For instance, instead of adding diced strawberries to the water and waiting for their essence to infuse, first muddle the fruit before adding it. To do so, mash or lightly squish the fruit using a fork or the back of a spoon to free its juices. At this point, you can also muddle in herbs like rosemary or mint. Then pour sparkling water over the macerated fruit and incorporate it with a long spoon, stirring and lifting for 20 to 30 seconds.

Homemade fruit syrups are also great for adding flavor without sacrificing fizz, since syrups dissolve easily in water. Make homemade blueberry simple syrup with lemon over the summer, or cranberry orange syrup during the holidays, by cooking the fruit and citrus in a saucepan and straining the juice. Add cooled syrup to your cup, followed by sparkling water, and lift with a spoon to incorporate. 

If you want to mix your drink like a true pro, do like the bartenders and add watermelon sage fruit syrup down the back of a spoon and into sparkling water. Then, gently stir and lift the infusion. Just remember with bubbles, the less agitation the better. With the right techniques, it's quite possible your sparkling beverage will match or exceed the best Trader Joe's flavored sparkling drinks.