Orange blueberry water
Looks like it took effort. Took five minutes and a fork.
Blueberries barely flavour water, but crushed slightly they turn it a deep pink-purple that makes the jug look like something. Orange does the actual tasting work.
It is a fair division of labour, and it is the infused water most likely to get someone else in the office asking what it is.
How to make it
- Hands on
- 5 min
- Total
- 3 h 5 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Per glass
- 10 kcal
Ingredients
Method
-
Slice the orange
Slice it thinly, skin on. Orange peel carries a lot of the aroma and, unlike lemon pith, it does not turn the jug bitter.
-
Crush the blueberries
Press them lightly with a fork — just enough to split the skins. Whole blueberries float and contribute nothing but decoration.
-
Combine and chill
Add both to a jug, top with cold water, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The colour keeps deepening the longer it sits.
-
Serve
Pour over ice. It keeps for two days in the fridge.
Worth knowing
- Frozen blueberries work and split more easily than fresh ones — no need to defrost.
- This is the one that photographs well, if that matters to you.
What it actually does for you
- Calories
- 10 kcal
Colour, not nutrition. The anthocyanins that make blueberries look impressive do cross into the water — that is what you are seeing — but in quantities with no meaningful effect. As with the rest of this cluster, the benefit is that you finish the jug.
How this was worked out: One orange holds roughly 60 kcal and 240 mg potassium; 150 g of blueberries about 85 kcal and 115 mg potassium (USDA FoodData Central). Only a fraction leaches out, so the 10 kcal per glass is approximate and no mineral figure is claimed.
Variations
- Swap orange for blood orange when they are in season.
- Add a sprig of rosemary for something more savoury.
Making it is the easy part
Remembering to drink it is the hard part. Honk watches your webcam with on-device AI and honks until you do, as gently or as loudly as you like.
Meet Honk → join the waitlistQuestions
Why is my orange water bitter?
Too much peel and too long. Orange peel is far more forgiving than lemon pith, but leave thick slices in for two days and it will still turn. Take the fruit out after a day.
