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Vegan/Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Nut-Free
Skill Level: Beginner
Yield: About 8 cups of non-alcoholic agua fresca/serves 8-10 people as a non-alcoholic beverage
Serves 10-15 people as an alcoholic beverage, depending on glass size
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Equipment Needed:
For non-alcoholic agua fresca:
If making the spiked version, you will also need:
The Recipe:
This recipe was adapted from a recipe by America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients:
8 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups water
1/3 cup lime juice (juiced from about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
kosher salt
mint leaves for garnish (optional)
If you are spiking your agua fresca, you will also need:
1.5-2 ounces tequila per cocktail
Procedure:
Non-alcoholic agua fresca:
Blend together the watermelon chunks and water. Depending on the size/power of your blender, it might work best to do this in two batches. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.
Position a strainer over a pitcher. Pour about 1/4 or so of your watermelon mixture into the strainer. Use a spoon to gently press on the solids and coax the liquid to fall into the pitcher.
You can discard the solids if you like, or follow my directions in the tips section to turn them into a yummy treat.
Repeat with remaining watermelon mixture.
Stir lime juice, agave nectar, and a pinch of kosher salt into the watermelon mixture using a bar spoon or long wooden spoon.
Taste, and adjust with more lime juice, agave, and salt as necessary.
To Serve: Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint sprigs, if desired. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Spiked agua fresca:
Follow steps 1-5 above to make your watermelon agua fresca base.
If you are making 1 cocktail, pour about 3 ounces of agua fresca into a cocktail shaker filled with a scoop of ice.
Add 1.5-2 ounces of tequila, and shake vigorously 15-20 times.
Strain over fresh ice into a 10-ounce rocks glass; garnish with fresh mint sprig if desired.
If you are making a pitcher of cocktails, add about 2 cups of tequila (or more or less, depending on how strong you like your cocktails) to your prepared pitcher of aqua fresca. Stir with a bar spoon or wooden spoon. Pour over fresh ice into glasses, and garnish with mint sprigs if desired. When you come back to pour another cocktail, be sure to give the pitcher another good mix.
Tips:
I used a very small seedless watermelon for my batch of watermelon agua fresca, and I still had watermelon chunks to spare. If you are using a large/average watermelon, you will have a lot of extra watermelon.
If you cannot find seedless watermelon, pick out as many of the large black seeds as possible as you cut your watermelon into chunks.
If storing this in the fridge, you will notice some separation. Simply mix or shake to re-combine.
Instead of throwing away your watermelon solids as you strain, why not save them for a yummy treat? I put mine into a container and froze. My kiddos loved this "watermelon granita" (as I called it) as a dessert, and there was zero guilt on my end since it was just watermelon and water! I'd maybe stir in a teaspoon of sweetener like honey next time to make it a tiny bit more treat-like. With the added water it froze into a big ice cube, so I microwaved it for 30 seconds, then broke it up with a fork. Next time I might even try throwing it into popsicle molds. My daughter commented that it was similar in taste to a watermelon snow cone.
If you are not on a vegan diet, you could substitute honey for the agave nectar.
Experiment with different fruits and flavorings! There are a ton of ideas online.
Although I always list cocktail garnishes as "optional," in my humble opinion they should be there. There is an awesome book I use as a resource called The Flavor Bible, and in the first chapter it talks about how aroma is responsible for as much as 80% or more of flavor. I think taking a drink of a flavorful cocktail and inhaling the aroma of a sprig of herb or a twist of citrus really does enhance the overall experience.
I used a reposado tequila in my cocktail, which is my preferred tequila (but of course use what ya got). Reposado means "rested" in Spanish; reposado tequilas are aged for 2-12 months in oak barrels. In contrast, blanco/silver tequilas are either not aged at all or only aged up to 2 months, anejo tequilas are aged 1-3 years, and extra anejo tequilas are aged longer than 3 years.
The Story:
Even though school has started, the weather doesn't feel like fall yet, and I like to hang on to summer as long as I possibly can! I ran across some recipes for various aguas frescas in a Mexican cookbook, and decided making one sounded like the perfect way to celebrate the (sadly inevitable) end of summer.
My initial idea was to simply make it as a fun treat for my kids, but then I thought, what would REALLY be good is adding a little tequila to this bad boy and cheersing the first weekend of the school year.
Agua Fresca, or "fresh water," originated in Mexico. Most of the stories of the history of this beverage that I found agree that the Aztecs were the first to create and drink them, gathering fruits as they paddled along the waterways of Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City, and muddling them up with water. Over time, agua fresca became (and still is) a popular street food in Mexico and Guatemala. They generally all contain some combination of fruit, sweetener, and water.
I found the non-alcoholic version of this to be just as enjoyable as the spiked one. Flavorful, sweet, a hint of tartness from the lime, and very refreshing. My daughter really liked it too :)
The adult version was just as tasty, but with a pleasant and subtle bite from the tequila. Next time I make one, I plan to try a salted rim on my glass for a little more savory/sweet contrast.
Cheers!
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