Have you ever seen a more stunning, more summery looking beverage than this watermelon-lime agua fresca? It was the perfect cure for a much-too-warm summer evening, recuperating in the backyard after a good beating by the SoCal sun. There was an article about agua frescas that appeared in the Los Angeles Times last week, and of all the recipe options this particular flavor blend looked especially enticing (“Water”melon?? HELLO!!). The brilliant pink concoction had just a hint of sweetness (maybe due to a unexceptional melon?) with a mild tart finish from the lime juice, as opposed to being a sugary, candy-like fruit juice that kids would love (though that didn’t stop Dizzy from chain-drinking about four cups of the stuff). I did add more agave nectar than called for in the recipe to compensate for the unripe fruit, and yet it didn’t get all that much sweeter (probably a good thing). Perhaps it’s just that agave is not as unabashedly sweet as white sugar, I’m not sure. For kicks, next time I may try it with simple syrup instead of agave and see how the flavor differs, AND maybe I’ll throw some vodka in there, too – OHHH yeah!
