By Kendra Nordin, Kitchen Report
鈥淎gua fresca鈥� simply means 鈥渇resh water鈥� and it is a common practice in Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean cuisine to serve 鈥渇resh water鈥� blended with a bit of fruit. Watermelon and jalape帽o make for a great pairing of sweet and heat. The level of heat in individual jalape帽os can vary quite a bit, so you may want to taste as you go to get a sense of the spice level. Jalape帽o seeds contain a lot of the pepper鈥檚 punch, so make sure to include them.
Fizzy Watermelon-Jalape帽o Agua Fresca
Excerpted with permission from 鈥淭he Artisan Soda Workshop鈥� by Andrea Lynn
Yield: About 2 cups of syrup
Jalape帽o simple syrup:
1 jalape帽o, chopped, seeds included
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Watermelon juice:
2-1/2 cups cubed watermelon
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1. To make the simple syrup: In a small pot, combine the jalape帽o, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and the let cook until the sugar is entirely dissolved and the syrup is flavored with jalape帽o, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Then, use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the jalape帽o pieces out of the simple syrup. Refrigerate the syrup in a covered container for up to 7 days.
2. To make the watermelon juice: In a food or blender, combine the watermelon and lime juice. Blend until the watermelon is pur茅ed, 1 to 2 minutes. Then, fit a bowl with a fine-mesh sieve, and pour the juice through the strainer to catch the pulp. Make sure to press the pur茅ed fruit against the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible, and discard the pulp. Refrigerate the watermelon juice in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
3. To make Fizzy Watermelon-Jalape帽o Agua Fresca: Fill a 10-ounce glass with 8 ounces (1 cup) watermelon juice. Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of jalape帽o simple syrup to taste. Top with seltzer, and serve.
