Watermelon Fresca

No, this is not an announcement about a new flavor of your favorite soft drink.

My friend Ana told me about a great recipe for agua fresca in the New York Times.  I told her I would use it in a cocktail, so here you go.

By the way, agua fresca is a refreshing mixture of fruit, sugar and water.

I chose watermelon and the hardest part was waiting the hour for it to chill in the fridge.

First up, I tried a gin cocktail.

Watermelon Blossom
2 oz. G’vine gin
1 oz. Dolin dry
3 strawberries
5 mint leaves
2 oz. watermelon agua fresca
juice of 1/2 lime
dash salt

rough cut strawberries and muddle with mint and a dash of salt.  add gin, dry vermouth, lime and agua fresca and shake with ice.  strain into chilled up glass and garnish with (massive!) strawberry

Next, it was time for dark rum.

Rum Roller
2 oz. Gosling’s
2 oz. watermelon agua fresca
3 strawberries
5 mint leaves
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon of sugar

muddle strawberries, mint and sugar.  add ice, rum, lime and agua fresca and shake.  Strain into rocks glass (with fresh ice, large cubes) and garnish with mint.

The recipes were similar, but the results were quite different.  The Watermelon Blossom cocktail was light, fruity and the alcohol was barely detectable – think dangerous party punch.  The Rum Roller was fuller-bodied with an underlying spiciness and a warm finish.

More agua fresca experiments to come.