Agua Fresca is a summertime fruit beverage popular in Mexico and Central America. Beautifully simple, it is made bu puréeing fresh fruit with water, lime juice and a little bit of sweetener. You can make this agua fresca recipe with a variety of fruits, including watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, kiwin, strawberries or honeydew. The single most important thing is to use fruit that is very ripe a in season. This will guarantee you the most flavor!

• 4 cups chopped fresh fruit
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
• 1-2 cups of water
• ice

1.Add the fruit, lime juice, sweetener and 1 cup of water to a high-powered blender and puree until very smooth. Taste and, if necessary, add an additional 1 cup of cold water and stir to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve over ice.

If you prefer, you can strain the drink through a medium strainer thereby removing all the pulp - but this isn't necessary.

It is super fun to offer two different flavors of agua fresca at a summer party.

Serve them in clear pitches if possible to show off the vibrant colors.

You can use agua fresca as the base for a summer cocktail by simply adding your favorite spirit such as tequila, vodka, or gin.

Always taste the fruit before you begin. If it is overly ripe and super sweet, you may not need to add any sweetener.