Agua Fresca

Serves 4
Perfect when serving spicy Mexican food, it's delicious as is—or spiked with tequila. Use just one kind of fruit—don't mix them! A colorful array of different batches of this drink made from all kinds of fresh fruit and served in clear glass pitchers is a great display for a party.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups chopped fresh fruit (such as watermelon, pineapple, or mango)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • Juice of 1 lime (2 tablespoons)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a blender, combine fruit, sugar, lime juice, and 1 cup water. Puree until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to help push liquid through sieve.
  2. Discard fruit pulp, add 1 more cup water to pitcher, stir to combine, and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
cook's note
Street Foods: When you travel to another country or an ethnic community, check out the street food. In neighborhoods with a large Mexican community, for example, you'll find street carts packed with beautifully hued jars of agua fresca, ready to be served in Styrofoam cups over shaved ice. Tamale ladies sell their wares packed in coolers without ice so they can stay warm. Taco trucks parked on the street corner offer tortillas with different favorite fillings. Street food, a direct connection with the people, is always the food everyone craves.
pantry
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