A perfect agua fresca is the intersection of practically any ripe fruit and the well-considered additions of water, sugar and lime juice. A perfect agua fresca is never thick or cloying or filling, like some smoothies, and, in fact, captures the pure essence of the fruit in a truly refreshing way. Ripe fruit provides the brilliance you’re transforming, while sugar carries the fruitiness throughout the drink, lime heightens and focuses the flavor and water turns it from fruit to thirst-quenching beverage.
Clearly we’re talking more art than science—but within some guidelines. As you make your way through this rather loose recipe (suggestions for other fruit quantities follow the main recipe), trust your taste buds, fiddle with the ingredients a little, and you’ll figure out how to best showcase what the fruit has to offer. Or combine fruit. Or add a special note by blending in a little mint or basil or lemon verbena–play around with herbs you have available.
Because I’m focused here on non-citrus fruits (those you approach slightly differently), I haven’t written anything about Mexico’s wonderful limeades, orangeades, grapefruit-ades, tangerine-ades, which I love to make with sparkling water for added pizzazz.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon flesh (you’ll need a 7- to 8-pound seedless watermelon)
- 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus a little more if needed
- 3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of the watermelon
INSTRUCTIONS
Scoop the watermelon into a blender along with 1 1/2 cups water, the minimum amount of lime juice and sugar. Process to a smooth puree (do this in batches if all of it won't fit into your blender).
Pour into a very large container or Mexican glass agua fresca barrel. Add 1 quart of water, stir, then give it a taste, adding more lime or sugar as you see fit. Serve over ice.
Other fruit to consider for agua fresca:
7 to 8 pounds of cantaloupe, honeydew, papaya, prickly pears or pineapple–peeled, cored, seeded and cubed (whatever you need to do to get pure chunks of fruit)
3 ½ to 4 pounds of peaches, nectarines, guavas and mangos (because the fruit is more compact, agua fresca made from them will need considerably more water)--peeled, pitted, seeded (whatever you need to do to get pure chunks of fruit)
