Today is the first official day of summer. And that means it also happens to be my birthday, along with my twin brother’s. Having our birthdays always conincide with the longest day of the year and the kick off to the school’s out/ warm weather season, almost always meant two things- we usually celebrated with some sort of outdoor pool or park party and watermelon was always on the menu. This year will be different in more ways than one, but at least there’s still my favorite fruit. And one of the ways I plan to enjoy it, is with this Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca. The perfectly delicious and refreshing cold beverage for this hot and humid summer solstice.
Watermelon really is the perfect fruit for making agua fresca. It’s loaded with water so blends up like a dream and the color just pops perfectly for a really fun drink. With that said though, I’ll pretty much take any kind of agua fresca. They’re all so delicious and make an excellent and healthy summer treat. My almost seven year-old who pretty much drinks water or milk, couldn’t agree more about getting to indulge in this.
If you’re not familiar with it agua fresca, it’s a Mexican drink that translates to “fresh water” or “cool water.” And it usually only consists of 2 or 3 ingredients- the fruit, water and sometimes a little sugar. Though these days it has become quite trendy and is often combined with other flavorings like fresh lemon or lime juice and herbs such as basil or mint and sometimes fun little bits of texture like chia, my fav. I grew up enjoying this so it has a very special place in my heart. Some of my absolute favorites are horchata (made with rice water,) jamaica (pronounced ha-mai-ka, which is hibiscus flavored,) cantaloup (melon,) strawberry (fresa) and piña (or pineapple.) They’re all so so good and really hit the spot. Especially served over ice.
The best part about making today’s recipe in particular, is that it’s about as easy as it gets but delivers big time. Now that we finally have brightly colored, amazingly sweet watermelon in season, at least here in Istanbul, there’s not much you have to do to make this drink really tasty. The fruit itself does all the work. In fact, I generally don’t even have to add any extra sweetner and that’s how I prefer it, especially since I’m giving it to the kids. Just a little bit of lime juice and zest for a citrus-y pop and some fresh mint because it pairs perfectly. Throw in a tiny bit of water to thin it out, some ice cubes and you are in summer beverage paradise. And in case you feel so obliged, a dash of your favorite spirit can turn this into a fun cocktail.
Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca (Agua de Sandía y Menta)
Ingredients
- 5 cups cubed, seedless, watermelon
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 1 lime, zested & juiced
- 1/4-1/2 cup cold water (add more if desired)
- 1-2 tsps honey, only if needed (*optional)
- ice
- lime slices & more mint for garnish (*optional)
Instructions
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Add the cubed watermelon to a blender and pulse until smooth. Add the mint leaves, lime juice & zest and cold water and pulse until blended and no more large mint pieces remain. (Don't blend too much if you don't want that pretty bright pink color to darken.) Taste and add the honey only if necessary and more water if you want to thin it out.
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Add a couple ice cubes to each glass. Give the agua fresca a stir and pour into the glasses. garnish with a lime slice and a mint sprig if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I don’t add any honey to mine as I find the in-season watermelon to be sweet enough but add a little if you like a sweeter drink.
*I keep the water minimal so the fresh watermelon really shines, but add a little more if you want a thinner consistency or want to stretch the servings out.
*If you’re not a fan of the little bit of pulp in here, run it through a strainer before pouring.
