Watermelon Agua Fresca

It’s summer, and I can prove it to you. See, I’m drinking Agua Fresca – that’s how you know for sure.

The other night, I was driving back home from a day jaunt up to Vancouver BC with a friend. It was about 9pm and still completely light outside when I commented that it was a luscious evening. Feels downright balmy, I said. My friend agreed. But as we casually glanced down at her car’s temperature gauge, we looked at each other in horror at the realization that it was only 53 degrees outside. I swear we never laughed so hard. What had become of us, I wondered. Two southern California girls, now living up in the Pacific Northwet (no, that was not a typo).

I have never had such an appreciation for summer as I do now. And though the temperatures are still cool, the sun is out… and I’ll take it! There’s so much more to summer than just the accompanying warmth – it’s a rebirth of sorts. It’s about the pumping of bicycle tires coming out of winter retirement and childhood memory’s evoked in the distant sound of an ice cream truck. Neighbors mowing grass late into the evening, the hammering of fence posts, the whirl of weed whackers, and the carefree laughter of neighborhood children playing in the streets…

So for now, I shall put away my longing for Southern California and soak up every delicious drop of summer right here in the Northwest.

2 mini watermelons- pureed and pushed through a sieve {yielded 6 cups of juice}
1/4 cup agave {or 1/4 cup sugar}
2 cups water
juice of one lime

Note:  into the season as watermelons become sweeter, you may not need to add additional sweetener. Also, an authentic Agua Fresca is not put through a sieve. But since my “seedless” watermelon did not deliver as promised, I wanted to eliminate the seeds and any solids to make for a brighter batch. Keep your Agua Fresca chilled so you can enjoy it without ice.

Tagged as: agua fresca, beverages, summer, watermelon