Strawberry, Cucumber, Watermelon
Why yes, I do know this is a VERY BIG IMAGE! Trust me, it looks much better big than small.
Yesterday, inexplicably, the only thing in the world that I wanted was watermelon agua fresca.
As southern as I may be, I came very late to the game as far as iced tea is concerned. I’ll drink it periodically, but it doesn’t fuel my summer the way it does for a good many people I know.
Diet Coke tends to be my poison of choice, but every few years, I hit a limit and start getting wicked headaches, which is probably my body’s last-ditch effort to get me to stop ingesting whatever hideously addictive chemicals they pump into that silver can of comfort and death.
Driven by my craving for a refreshing summer quaff, I hit the market, cracked open a watermelon, and got busy with the blender. Being who I am, I then moved on to cucumbers and strawberries.
A veritable agua fresca smackdown!
Kept it pretty straightforward for the watermelon – just some simple syrup and lime juice to give it some spark. The cucumber got lemongrass syrup and lime; the strawberry, rosemary syrup and lime.
As-is, they rock. With agua mineral con gas, a little less club-you-over-the-head, but still delightful. With rum … with vodka … so far, we have no complaints! Next, I’ll try some of the elderflower liqueur with the strawberry, which surely will be wildly drinkable.
Strawberry and rosemary was the perfect cool-down after a power walk in the hot, sticky Houston night. Let me know when the elderflower/strawberry elixir is on. I’ve got my sneakers at the ready…