Good news for teetotalers with expensive tastes.

As the oil and gas industry endured tough times earlier this year, the media was rife with speculation that petrol, which fell to 86p per litre in January, could become cheaper than water.

Now that Brent crude prices are recovering, with barrels valued at close to $50 (£34.46), retailers at Selfridges are turning the argument on its head with plans to open a water-only bar later this year.

Read more: What do petrol prices tell us about the price of water?

Inspired by brands like Fiji, Evian and Voss, the department store is set to sell bespoke bottles to shoppers who don't want to let alcohol lower their purchasing inhibitions, according to the Sunday Times.

Water may be everywhere, but those with more refined palettes swear that water can be appreciated in the same way as wine. At the top of the range is Japan's Fillico Jewellery Water, fetching £150 per Sworovski crystal-studded bottle.

Read more: "Let them drink water" government officials cry

"Water has taste" promises Martin Reisse, a leading sommelier d'eau based in the US.

"They can be salty, sweet, smooth, fruity, complex, metallic".

No word on the menu at Selfridges yet, but the Sunday Times reports that "mint-infused" was suggested at a recent briefing.

Leading restaurants in Los Angeles and Belfast have already launched their own H2O menus, but City folk are well versed in the ways of water-tasting. Staffers at Bloomberg have their very own complimentary water bar, serving mint, cucumber, citrus and apple infusions.