Turn Your Melon Into Agua Fresca
DST is a three-month period in New York where buying a whole melon costs the same price (and sometimes less) than buying a container of a pint of chopped fruit. I don’t have a car, so you’ll see me walking home with two bags of innocent-looking groceries and a very heavy backpack. I love melon. And in order to use every cube of precious syrupy fruit, I make agua frescas.
Without a doubt, this simple drink allows me to make the most of the melon season. I can have a leisurely snack on a melon and then cram most of it into my drink before the fruit starts to sit weird in my fridge. The variety of flavors is only limited by your imagination, and at the very least, you can make an impressive water mural with just two or three ingredients: a couple cups of fruit, water, and an extra sweetener.
Agua fresca is originally from Mexico, but I have a feeling that wherever melons grow in abundance, these mixed fruit juices are produced with their own refreshing names. To prepare the water fresco, peel the skin, deseed if necessary, and cut the fruit as usual. Add about two packed cups of fruit cubes to a blender and a cup of water. You can stop here, mix a Dickens and enjoy a tall, refreshing glass of nature’s lollipops right away. Or you can experiment a bit with sweetener and citrus.
Blenders that can destroy any melon you throw at it:
I had golden honeydew and watermelon this weekend, so naturally both ended up in my drink. I mixed one cup of each melon, one cup of water, the juice of one whole lime, and two teaspoons of honey. I then sat on my balcony and enjoyed a 15 minute break. You can pour your vodka over ice, but I’m one of those perverts who like room temperature water. For me, it’s right in the glass.
I prefer melon, but you can use pineapple, papaya, peaches or cucumbers. Add some grated ginger, but don’t get carried away. I love aqua fresco because it’s the sweet spot between cold-pressed bougie juice and a rich smoothie. There are no claims for a perfectly smooth result. The consistency is juicy and fleshy, it exfoliates over time, which is fine. Use the remaining fruits to explore the water surface. A little more water or maple syrup might work for you. Try adding different fruits or some mango nectar. Or follow him like I do and any leftover melon will be my water fresco del dia.
Watermelon Agua Mural
Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced watermelon
- 1 glass of cold water
- Juice of 1 lime (ignore the pulp that gets inside)
- 2 teaspoons honey
Add all ingredients except ice to a blender. Mix until foam forms and the melon is as crumbled as possible. Enjoy with or without ice.