Aguas Frescas- Primal Spring and Summer Drinks

The heat is coming... at least here in Austin and that means cool summer drinks. We know that juices we buy at the store are often loaded with extra sugar so here is a great summer alternative as Aguas Frescas is not as heavy as juice but not as plain as water.

Aguas Frescas has it's roots in Mexico and Central America and are generally drinks made with fruits, herbs, and sometimes grains ( like Horchata, made with rice and Cinnamon) blended together to make a cool drink So obviously, we are going to stay away from the grains and sugar and just stick with fruits and herb.

You can make your Agua Fresca in any flavor you like. Some of the most popular are strawberry, watermelon, mango, and orange. Hibiscus is also used a lot in Mexico.



There are several ways to make your water infusion.

1)The Infusion way

Chop up the fruits, herbs, (and/or veggies you like) and  place in a large pitcher and chill for 2-4 hours. Serve and Enjoy

Here's a recipe for Watermelon Basil infusion.

• 2 cups of seedless watermelon, cubed
• Ten to 12 basil leaves
• One half gallon of water

Pour water over melon and basil. Refrigerate for two hours and then serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of basil.


2) The Puree way
Blend together your fruit and other ingredients including the water. Sift the mixture through a fine seeve reserving the liquid and discarding the pulp.

Here's a recipe for Strawberry Lime Agua Fresca

• 3 cups strawberrys, chopped and de-leafed ( can use frozen)
• Juice from 2 limes
• Lime Zest
  
• 4 cups cold, filtered water

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Sift through a fine mesh sieve discarding the pulp. Serve right away or cool in a pitcher.


There is virtually no wrong way to to do this and unlimited combinations. You might have to do some experimenting with water amounts and ingredients. If you search online for recipes, you might find a lot of them have added sugar. This is your call and you can surly omit the sugar in your agua fresca. Your agua fresca can be as simple as one fruit or you can go all gourmet and mix flavors as you like. Some combinations I love are below this next list.  Let us know if you create something delicious!

Typical Aguas Frescas ingredients:

•  Mango
• Any Berry
• Watermelon
• Melon
• Guava
• Papaya
• Orange
• Peach
• Banana
• Pineapple
• Lemon
• Lime
• Cucumber

Herbs:

• Mint
• Rosemary
• Coriander
• Ginger
• Cardamom
• Hibiscus tea
• Basil
• Lavender
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Flavor Ideas

• Lemon Coriander
• Cucumber Melon
• Strawberry Banana
• Hibiscus, Nutmeg, Lime
• Lemon Lavender
• Basil Berry