Melon Agua Fresca

Lately, at Schnucks, my local grocery, they’ve had these amazing melons called Honey Kiss, Summer Kiss, and Sugar Kiss. They resemble and taste like cantaloupes, but are a bit sweeter and juicier. While eating a one of these delicious melons it dawned on me that it would make a fantastic drink, so I decided to use them in an agua fresca (“fresh water” in Spanish). Agua fresca is one of the most refreshing beverages around, perfect for the hot summer weather we’ve been having lately. It might sound foreign, but it is really one of the easiest things to make at home.

Melon Agua Fresca

Ingredients:
3 cups melon (from one sugar kiss or similar type melon), cubed and seeded
Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
5 or 6 mint leaves
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1-4 Tbsp. simple syrup (to taste)

Directions:
Combine the melon, cucumber, mint leaves, and ½ a cup of water in a blender, processing until liquified. Stir in the lime juice and simple syrup to taste. I preferred mine slightly less sweet. If you want a pulp free beverage, you can strain through a fine-mesh sieve or colander; I prefer mine pulpy. Refrigerate until chilled.

Turning your aqua fresca into a tasty cocktail is a simple as adding an ounce of your favorite liquor. I served mine with gin, but vodka or taquilla would also be great. Garnish with fresh mint.

You’ll  want to select a very ripe melon for this; the riper the melon, the less sugar you'll need to add. A ripe melon should have a pleasant, sweet fragrance and seem heavy for its size. If you don’t like cantaloupes or cantaloupe-like melons, watermelon will work for this recipe also.