Agua de Sandia (Watermelon)
Nathan brought home a watermelon the other day and as always, we had high hopes for it! He did the thump test checking for a hollow sound, it had a bright variegated lines, a distinct yellow spot where it had been soaking in the sun - it was going to be good! Wrong! It was mushy and granular. So instead of just throwing the whole thing away, we tried our hand at another recipe. We knew the flavor was still good, but the texture was wrong, so we blended it, added some simple syrup and viola, Agua de Sandia (Watermelon) was born!
The Basics
From Prep to Completion 25 minutes
Temperature Serve cold, over ice and garnish with a wedge/round of lime and fresh mint
Servings 6 - 8 oz glasses
WhenIt Is Done All ingredients are incorporated, water and sugar ration taste right to you - make it sweeter than you'd like as the ice will water it down
Pair With
Variations Use other fruits such as honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, or strawberry
A Little Bit About: Agua de Sandia
Being that we are originally from San Diego, just about every Mexican restaurant has some type of Aqua Fresca. I would say the most common are Pina, and Jamaica (hibiscus). But since it is watermelon season, we figured an Agua de Sandia would be rather crave-worthy because of the heatwaves that have been hitting the United States.
Something that I like to remember about this drink is that it is not overwhelmingly sweet. It is a flavored water. Do not think of this like a soda or sports drink. It should be refreshing and even thirst quenching when enjoyed on a hot day and with a delicious meal. We would recommend that you store it in a large pitcher, like this one, in the fridge and for best results pour it over ice before serving.
Also, keep in mind that if you are a 'pulp' kind of person you can always keep some of that when you run the blended liquid through your sieve/strainer. If you do not have one you can find it here, 3 pack sieve/strainers (these are the ones we just purchased). The Agua de Sandia will naturally have some texture to it compared to just plain water, but it is so vibrant in smell and flavor that it will keep you coming back for a refill!
When making a fruit drink, always consider adding an herb to help add depth of flavor to an already delicious recipe!
Teaching Moment
How to Store Fresh Mint
Storing fresh herbs correctly will help them last longer and taste as fresh as possible. When it comes to mint, dampen a paper towel and squeeze out any excess water. Wrap the stems with it and place it in a ziploc bag, keep unsealed in the fridge until you are ready to use.
How to Infuse Simple Syrup
Why do we use simple syrup? It is difficult and more time consuming for sugar to dissolve in a cold environment. By using a 1-1 ratio of water and sugar we can eliminate that process and add it to cold drinks without the risk of it not dissolving and it resting at the bottom.
Infuse a simple syrup by adding in the spices, fresh herbs or loose teas after it has come to a boil and you have removed it off the heat. Let it steep for 15 minutes and then strain. This opens you up to so many different flavor combinations, get creative and have fun with it.
Making the Time
From the beginning, Ziba and I have always hoped that you would use our blog to help you connect. With hospitality always on our mind, we want to help sweeten the experience! In reality, that can be difficult when your mind is on cooking, so we came up with Family Table Talk. Please use these questions not as an end all be all, but as a prompter to get conversation flowing between friends, family, children, and maybe even a stranger!
Mise en Place:
Read the recipe first | Lay out your ingredients | Prepare your tools | Start cooking
Agua de Sandia (Watermelon)
We now need to add the rest of the ingredients
Agua de Sandia (Watermelon)
servings:6 - 8 oz glasses time: 25min difficulty:easy
Agua de Sandia is a refreshing summer drink that can be made in under 30 minutes. Grab a blender and some watermelon and lets get started! 🍉
Ingredients
4-6 lb seedless watermelon, blended and strained
3/4 cup of cane sugar
2 3/4 cups of water, divided
6 - 8 sprigs of mint, more for garnish
1/2 lime, juiced
pinch of salt
Simple Syrup: In a medium sauce pan combine cane sugar and 3/4 cup of water, bring to a boil and let boil for 30 seconds until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add in mint sprigs and let steep for 15 minutes.
Prepare your watermelon by removing the peel, cubing and blending it in a blender. Prepare a bowl with a sieve and strain your watermelon juice. Using the back of a wooden spoon (or any spoon, a spoon is a spoon) make sure to press into the pulp to remove all the juice.
Once your simple syrup has steeped, remove the mint and discard. Pour your watermelon juice into a pitcher and add about 2/3 (about 3/4 cup) of your simple syrup (reserving some to add gradually as you sweeten to your liking).
Add in your lime juice, a pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water (reserving you last cup to adjust as needed), stir.
Remember to make it a little sweeter than you would like as the drink will get watered down as the ice melts.
Grab a glass, fill with ice, add in a slice of lime and fill glass with the Agua de Sandia. Top with mint for garnish. Drink up!
What to Consider
Adjustments - Keep in mind that every watermelon tastes different and you will need to adjust the sweetness and water depending on how much you feel that you need. Keep it mind that it should taste like a flavored water. A general rule is between 1 to 2 cups of water and making it a bit sweeter because it will get watered down by the ice cubes.