Agua Frescas
Come summertime, I always lighten things up for the season as the temps increase—whether in the clothes I wear (breezy sun dresses and strappy sandals) or the food I make (tons of crisp salads and fresh fruit). One of the best ways to cool down on a hot day is to sip an agua fresca, a popular drink in Texas, Mexico and Latin America. Made with pureed fruit, water, a squeeze of lime, touch of sugar and sometimes herbs, agua frescas are all natural and couldn’t be any easier to make at home. At our wedding, we served watermelon-prickly pear and mango-cantaloupe agua frescas as refreshing, non-alcoholic options for guests. Watermelon is still my all-time favorite agua fresca flavor, but I decided to test Cantaloupe-Mint and Strawberry-Basil versions for serving at patio parties all summer long. Here are the super simple recipes!
Cantaloupe-Mint Agua Fresca
1 cantaloupe, chopped into large pieces
4 very large mint leaves
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Juice of half a lime
1 cup of ice-cold water
1 cup of ice
Strawberry-Basil Agua Fresca
1 pound package of strawberries, tops removed
3 very large basil leaves
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Juice of half a lime
1 cup of ice-cold water
1 cup of ice
Puree fruit, herbs, agave, lime juice and water until smooth. Taste and adjust to your preference—more water can be added if you’d like the mixture to be less concentrated, or additional agave can make it sweeter. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or through cheesecloth into a pitcher. (Note, if you’re using a Vitamix, you can probably skip this step.) Fill glasses with ice and divide agua fresca among glasses. Add soda water for a bit of fizz or alcohol for a spiked version.