Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca
Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca
A cool Mexican-style cucumber lime agua fresca blended with fresh cucumber, lime juice, cold water, and just enough sugar to taste clean and refreshing.
Cucumber lime agua fresca is the kind of drink that tastes best when it is simple: fresh cucumber, bright lime, cold water, and a modest amount of sugar. The result is crisp and lightly sweet, with enough acidity to make it feel especially refreshing on a warm day.
Blending the cucumber with part of the water extracts its clean flavor quickly, while straining keeps the drink smooth and easy to sip. If you like a little more body, strain through a fine-mesh sieve only once; for a clearer agua fresca, line the sieve with cheesecloth and let the liquid drip without pressing too hard.
The sugar amount is intentionally flexible because cucumbers and limes vary. Start with the recipe amount, taste after straining, and adjust with another spoonful of sugar or a squeeze of lime until the drink lands where you want it.
Serve it very cold over ice, ideally soon after making it. A few cucumber slices or lime wheels in the pitcher make it look finished without changing the clean flavor that makes this agua fresca so easy to drink.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
-
1
Add the chopped cucumber and 2 cups of the cold water to a blender.
-
2
Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until the cucumber is completely broken down and the mixture looks pale green and foamy.
-
3
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a pitcher and pour in the blended cucumber mixture, pressing gently with a spoon to extract the liquid.
-
4
Stir the lime juice, sugar, kosher salt, and remaining 2 cups cold water into the pitcher until the sugar dissolves.
-
5
Taste the agua fresca and adjust with a little more sugar for sweetness or lime juice for brightness.
-
6
Chill for at least 10 minutes if time allows, or serve immediately over plenty of ice.
-
7
Garnish glasses with cucumber slices and lime wheels and stir the pitcher before each pour.
Ingredients
- English cucumber, chopped:1 large
- cold water:4 cups
- fresh lime juice:1/3 cup
- granulated sugar:3 tbsp
- kosher salt:pinch
- ice:as needed
- cucumber slices and lime wheels for serving:as needed
Tips & Notes
- For a sharper lime flavor, add a little finely grated lime zest before blending and strain it out with the cucumber pulp.
- If the cucumber has a thick or waxed peel, peel it before chopping so the drink stays clean and smooth.
- Make the drink up to 4 hours ahead and keep it refrigerated; stir well before serving because light separation is normal.
