Watermelon Agua Fresca

Earlier in my blog, I had posted a strawberry agua fresca but since it is summer and the temperature here is soaring beyond 40 degrees C, I decided to make a watermelon agua fresca. Apt for the weather and the season.

For those who don’t know what agua fresca is, it consists of fruits blended with sugar, honey, lime juice and water to make a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. It is very popular in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene and amino acids.

Ingredients (Serves 4-5)

• Chopped watermelon- 5 cups (Make sure the watermelon is sweet and it is okay if there are seeds in it as it will be strained but if seedless it is even better)
• Water- 1/2 cup or 120 ml
• Mint- 4 to 5 sprigs
• Honey- 2 tablespoon (Vegans add the same amount of caster sugar)
• Lime juice- 3 teaspoons
• Salt- a pinch
• Ice cubes- to serve

Method:

Add the cubed melon to a blender along with the water and blend it until it is pulp free and properly blended. Strain it using a fine sieve to make sure all the coarse seeds gets removed. Discard the seeds and strain it once again. To the strained watermelon juice add honey, a pinch of salt, lime juice and mix. Add sprigs of mint and allow it to infuse into the juice for 5 minutes.

Taste to check for sweetness and adjust accordingly because some watermelons are quite sweet while some are not. Also check for a slight sourness (The sourness of the lime should be mild only). Remove the mint leaves from the juice or strain it once. Pour into glasses. Add cubes of ice and serve with lime wedges.