Aqua Fresca: Your New Favorite Summer Drink

The day before Lore’s 20th birthday, I wanted to surprise her with a little taste of home. I’d heard of Aqua Fresca before but I’d never tried it. Aqua Fresca is Mexico’s answer to lemonade, except instead of lemons they use some sort of cooling, refreshing fruit like watermelon or cantaloupe.

I found a couple of recipes on the Food Network website . After reading through them (and the reader reviews) I adapted this recipe from Michael Chiarello.

Aqua Fresca
adapted from Michael Chiarello’s recipe
serves 4

3 cups watermelon, peeled, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups water

1 to 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet your melon is

2 limes, juiced

mint, optional

Puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender. Place a fine sieve over an empty pitcher and pour the watermelon mixture through the sieve. Discard pulp left over in sieve (you will just have clear red-pink liquid left over) It looks like this.

Add the remaining ingredients (start with 1 tablespoon sugar) to the watermelon liquid and stir. Taste for sugar, adding more if necessary. Chill until very cold. Re-stir the mixture and serve over lots of cracked ice, with a garnish of lime and mint, if desired.

This is one stunner of a drink. And boy, is it good. I must admit, the first thing I thought when I tasted it was: ooooh, gotta try this with vodka in it! Taste test on the adult version pending.

I also thought that the color of the strained watermelon juice was so gorgeous (and so potent smelling) that you could probably combine a few tablespoons of it with Prosecco to make a Watermelon Bellini.

Any way you decide to try it, I encourage you. Our whole family loved it (Daphne gave it a 10!) and on a hot day, it will hit the spot. And as we were finishing, Lore said the magic words: This also is really good frozen like a popsicle. As soon as our new popsicle molds arrive, expect a review.

Happy almost birthday, Lore!