Summer drinks adults and kids both love
How to make jewel-colored pitchers of agua frescas
Hosting in the summer means thirsty guests. Gone are the days when you can simply whip up a pitcher of margs and be done with it. What will the kids drink? And what about those of us who want to moderate alcohol?
Enter the agua fresca. These drinks are light, non-alcoholic and refreshing. They’re made by blending fresh fruit with water, ice and a touch of sugar. They are healthy, hydrating, and much thinner than a smoothie. Also much more interesting than anything you might get from a can. And OK, you COULD set a bottle of vodka on ice next to them and let folks spike them if that’s what they want.
If you need to add to your supply of interesting party pitchers, any of these options would be beautiful. At left, a hand blown pitcher that is also gorgeous filled with flowers. Or, a contemporary columnar pitcher with an interesting handle, a more traditional columnar shape, and a traditional option. Each one has its own personality. And they look great next to each other.
Hot tip!
When making drinks like this or even cold soups like gazpacho in a blender, many times you will find your drink or soup has too many bubbles. It can ruin the experience of consuming them. To fix this, after you finish blending, turn your blender down to the lowest speed for about one minute. As you blend at this low speed, you will begin to see bubbles coming up through the liquid to burst at the top. Blending your liquid at the lowest speed causes the air to escape, for some reason I cannot explain.
You WILL need a good blender. And this is the best, in my opinion. Each of the agua frescas below can be stored in a pitcher in your fridge for up to three days. Each recipe yields about 6 to 8 servings, or 2 quarts.
Pineapple orange and basil agua fresca
The pineapple tends to froth up a bit when blended, so I make this 30 minutes ahead and chill it to give it time to settle down. Then I take a spoon and skim off the head of foam just before serving.
2 cups ice
6 cups water
1/4 fresh pineapple cut into pieces
1 orange, peeled
1/4 cup sugar
4 fresh basil leaves (optional)
Place the ice and 2 cups of water in the serving pitcher.
Place the pineapple, peeled orange pieces, sugar and 4 cups of water in the jar of your blender and blend on high until well blended. Add the basil and blend until no small pieces remain.
Pour through a strainer into a serving pitcher. Chill until ready to serve.
Pear and pink peppercorn agua fresca
Pink peppercorns do not have the sharp hot flavor of the black peppercorns. They are fruitier and provide an unexpected compliment to the fresh pears. It’s best to use ripe pears. Any type will do.
2 cups ice
6 cups water
2 ripe pears, stemmed, cored and peeled
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 pinches of pink peppercorns
Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your serving pitcher
Put the pears, lemon juice, sugar and peppercorns with remaining 4 cups of water in the jar of your blender and blend on high until well blended. Taste and add more sugar if you want it sweeter.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the slightly gritty consistency of the pear.
Grapefruit-ginger agua fresca
This has a gorgeous pink color and is full of vitamin C.
2 cups ice
6 cups water
1 1/2 oz ginger, peeled and cut into rounds
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your pitcher
Put the ginger, 4 cups of water, sugar and grapefruit juine in the jare of a blender and blend on high until well blended. Taste and add more sugar if desired.
Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher and chill until ready to serve.
Cucumber, mint and lime agua fresca
Something akin to spa water. I would love to have this sitting in my fridge at all times.
2 cups ice
6 cups water
10 - 20 mint leaves, washed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 English cucumber, peeled and shopped (Reserve a few thin slices for garnish)
1/2 cup sugar
Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your serving pitcher
Put the mint leaves, lime juice, cucumber, sugar and 4 cups of water in the blender and blend on high.
Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the serving pitcher. Chill and garnish with sprigs of mint or slices of cucumber.
Cheers!
Yvonne
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