Agua Fresca

Instructions

1. 1 Cut the watermelon into chunks and remove any seeds. Place the fruit in a blender and add one cup of water. Blend on high speed for one minute until completely smooth and liquefied with no remaining solid pieces of fruit.
2. 2 Pour the blended fruit through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing the pulp with a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the remaining pulp. This straining step creates the signature smooth, light texture of authentic agua fresca.
3. 3 Add the remaining three cups of cold water to the pitcher along with the sugar and lime juice. Stir vigorously for one minute until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is uniform in color and consistency throughout.
4. 4 Taste the agua fresca and adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed, or more lime juice if it tastes too sweet. Add a pinch of salt to enhance the fruit flavor. The balance should lean toward refreshing rather than candy-sweet.
5. 5 Refrigerate the agua fresca for at least one hour until thoroughly chilled. The flavors will meld and develop during this resting time, and the drink becomes noticeably more refreshing and cohesive when served very cold.
6. 6 Stir well before serving as natural settling occurs during refrigeration. Pour over plenty of ice in tall glasses, garnish with fresh mint leaves and a lime round on the rim. Present in a clear glass to showcase the beautiful fruit color.