I’m back from Cancun! I’ve gotta say that while I get why people love taking sunny beach vacations during horrendous winter weather, there is something extra special about coming home to a perfect weekend of clear skies and bright sunshine. And just your luck- in the spirit of turning any summer day into a small slice of vacation, I came straight home excited to share this recipe for watermelon agua fresca!
The inspiration for this drink came straight from the beach in front of the hotel I stayed at on my trip- the Ritz Carlton Cancun. Check out this view from my balcony!
There’s not too much involved with providing amazing service at a beach resort since most folks are hoping for a comfy lounge chair, some towels and perhaps a bit of shade. On Friday morning we were sitting underneath one of those blue umbrellas reading magazines when a waiter came around with a tray of small shot glasses. Inside the glass? A perfectly bright pink watermelon agua fresca, super chilled and incredibly refreshing.
This drink is absolutely delicious and completely perfect for entertaining. You can even add a shot of rum or vodka and turn it into a light cocktail!
- 4 cups of seedless watermelon, cut into small chunks (This was about half of a watermelon for me.)
- 1 cup water
- simple syrup
- mint leaves
- Add watermelon and water to a blender. Blend until the watermelon is as broken down as possible.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the blended watermelon and water mixture. I like use a spoon to get out as much water as possible and leave the strainer alone for about 20 minutes to let gravity do its thing.
- Taste your juice to see if it's sweet enough for you. If not, add simple syrup by the tablespoon to your taste. (Watermelon sweetness varies, so make sure you taste test each time you make this recipe!)
- Garnish with mint leaves and serve very cold.
- If you love mint, I also made a version which blended up a handful of mint leaves with the watermelon and water! This was AMAZING, but very minty.
It’s crazy how such simple ingredients come together so well! You’re gonna love this.
P.S. I cannot recommend Cancun enough as a vacation destination. I love the Caribbean in general and the Mexico side definitely did not disappoint. I’ve been to Puerto Vallarta before and had a great trip, but this vacation was something else. I’m more than happy to go over some details on the area and what I liked if you’re interested! Just in case you’re shy, here are a few highlights:
* Hotels are mostly all in row and conveniently situated on a 24 hour bus line that costs about 75 cents each way. It’s not difficult to notice the larger malls or plazas to stop at and even though the buses are speedy, they’re great about stopping for drop offs and pickups. (In my opinion, there’s no need for taxis.)
* Shopping! Cancun has a few great malls with both high-end retailers and American mall stores.
* Friendliness. The people in Cancun are so kind-hearted and warm!
* Water! The beaches were AMAZING. Scroll back up if you need to see that again. 🙂
Yep, I’m gonna need a glass of this everyday for the rest of the summer.
I KNOW, right? I can’t even imagine wanting to chew watermelon anymore after tasting it this way! 😉
This juice its very good for two reason its made of watermelon and it all goes arround water. Very nice! And congratulations the photos are very well taken!
this sounds so refreshing!
I have been doing something similar with watermelon lately that I love. I mix 3-4 cups watermelon with about 1/4 fresh pineapple and juice of one lemon. I blend in my vitamin with about 6 ice cubes. It makes several servings and is very refreshing and healthy.
Oh, this sounds YUMMY! I am going to have to try this variety- thank you!