I have to admit, the first time I heard about a spiked Agua Fresca was watching Shahs of Sunset on BRAVO, yes I am one of those. Reza had just arrived at MJ’s house and she greeted him with an Agua Fresca spiked with Tequilla. If you are a fan you can image it was most likely heavy spiked however, it looked refreshing, super pretty and sounded exactly like something I would love to offer my guests this summer when they stopped by {Reza if you are reading this, you are always welcome to knock on my door… just saying}.

Traditionally Agua Fresca is a non-alcoholic drink served by street vendors, in bodegas, and at cafes in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Coming in many flavor combinations Agua Fresca is made by combining fruits, seeds, and occasionally flowers, with sugar and water.

I had just picked up a fresh juicy watermelon at the market over the weekend and my patio garden is overflowing with fresh basil, so I figured I would give a Spiked Watermelon and Basil Agua Fresca a go as my first attempt at this “exotic” recipe.

On my first try I muddled the basil leaves in the cup leaving bits of them floating in the pink juice. The flavor was nice but the leaves ended up in your mouth which although I was ok with this, I figured not everyone would be. Especially as a guest at a party, you may then be worried about bits in your teeth – at least I would be – and thats never a good thing for a party guest to be concerned about.

So I switched instead to creating an easy basil simple syrup first which imparted the same flavor with out the bits. I feel this is probably the best method when serving to a group at your home for a summer BBQ or at a beach picnic.

WATERMELON + BASIL SPIKED AGUA FRESCA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cubed watermelon
1/4 cup basil simple syrup
1 cup ice cubes
juice of one lime
ice, for each serving
chilled vodka
basil sprig, for garnish
watermelon slice, for garnish

METHOD

Place cubed watermelon in a blender pulse until all pieces are broken down and it has become a liquid. Add simple syrup, ice cubes and lime juice, blend until combined.

For each serving, :: In serving glass filled 3/4 with ice add 1 1/2 ounces of vodka, top with approximately 1 cup of melon mixture. Stir well to combine and chill. Garnish with basil sprig and watermelon slice. Serve chilled.

MAKES 6 – 8 SERVINGS