XXL Silicone Bags, Set of 2
102oz each and see-through, so you can portion a whole week and still find it.
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Gallon Agua Fresca
Half a watermelon, a lime and some water makes a gallon of the best thing to drink in August, and it takes ten minutes. Agua fresca is not lemonade and not juice: it is fruit blended with water until it is barely thicker than water, which is why it goes down like nothing else in the heat. It does not keep, so make it the day you want it. The see-through gallon bag is the right vessel because the fruit settles and you can watch it, and because a bag chills far faster in the fridge than a pitcher does.
Ingredients
- 12 cups cubed seedless watermelon, about half a large melon
- 8 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, about 4 limes
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small bunch fresh mint, optional
- Ice, to serve
Directions
- Blend the watermelon in batches with 2 cups of the water until completely smooth, about 30 seconds a batch.
- Strain each batch through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing lightly with a spoon. Do not force the pulp through. You want the juice, not the fibre.
- Stir in the remaining water, the lime juice, sugar and salt. The salt is not optional. A quarter teaspoon in a gallon does not taste salty, it makes the fruit taste more like itself.
- Taste and adjust. Melons vary a lot, so you may need more sugar or more lime. Aim for something a little tarter than you think, since ice will dilute it.
- Pour into the gallon bag, add the mint if using, press out the air and seal. Lay it flat in the fridge for an hour.
- Serve over plenty of ice. Stir or shake first, because it separates within about twenty minutes.
Tips and variations
- Strain gently. Pressing the pulp through makes the drink thick and cloudy instead of clean and light.
- The salt matters more than the sugar. Add it before you decide the drink needs sweetening.
- Cantaloupe, strawberry, pineapple and cucumber all work with the same ratios. Cucumber and lime is the best of them.
- Drink it the same day. By day two the fruit has gone flat and no amount of lime brings it back.
- For a party, freeze 2 cups of the finished agua fresca as ice cubes so the pitcher does not water down.
The bag this recipe is built around
A gallon of agua fresca has nowhere to live in most fridges, and it separates, so you want to see it. The Clear XXL bags are 102oz each and see-through, they chill far faster lying flat than a pitcher does standing up, and the leakproof seal means you can shake the whole thing to remix it without making a mess.
See the Clear XXL Bags
Common questions
- What is agua fresca
- A light Mexican fruit drink made by blending fresh fruit with water, lime and a little sugar, then straining it. It is far thinner than juice and meant to be drunk cold in quantity.
- How long does agua fresca last
- One day in the fridge at best. Fresh fruit and water separate and lose flavor quickly, so make it the day you plan to drink it.
- Do I have to strain agua fresca
- Yes for watermelon and melon, where the fibre makes it thick and grainy. Strawberry and pineapple can be left unstrained if you prefer more body.
- Why does my agua fresca separate
- Because it is fruit and water with nothing holding them together. That is normal. Shake or stir before each pour.
More drink recipes
Keep the ones that work
Copy this one onto a 4x6 card. Title across the top, the seven ingredients down the left, the six steps down the right, and Makes 1 gallon, Prep 10 min along the header. File it behind the Drinks divider. Built to outlast the screenshot.
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