Musk melon basil agua fresca

It is summer in Bangalore, and I am, as always, not coping well. There is something about Bangalore heat that does me in in a way that Delhi’s never did, even though the latter gets much hotter. To make things comfortable for me this year, we are pulling out all stops to have the refrigerator packed with summer drinks. A couple of weekends ago we made ginger syrup (for ginger sodas) and aam panna preserve, and now it is aguas fresca and juices.

I had never tasted aguas fresca until I lived in California, and I cannot believe I missed out for so long. The fruit-based ones, my favourites, can’t quite be described as juices. They are more like water flavoured or infused by fruit. This makes them lighter and more refreshing than juice, and there is zero pulp which makes me very, very happy. The recipe we are sharing today is one I absolutely love. For starters, this agua fresca is such a gorgeous colour. Plus, the sweetness of the melon completely quashes any need to add extra honey or sugar. And then there is the fresh basil, how can it not make things better?

Musk melon basil agua fresca
Adapted from Bon Appétit

4 cups chopped ripe musk melon (one average sized musk melon did the job for us)
1 cup cold water
Juice of half a lemon
6-8 large basil leaves

1. Set a fine sieve over a large bowl and line it with cheesecloth or fine muslin.

2. Purée the musk melon in a blender, and transfer it to the lined sieve. Set this aside for a couple of hours to allow the juice to strain into the bowl. When it looks like only the pulp is left in the cloth, bundle the cloth together to squeeze out any remaining juice. You should have 2¼ cups of juice.

3. Add a cup of cold water, lemon juice and basil leaves to the strained musk melon juice. Let the leaves steep in the juices for 2–3 hours at room temperature.

4. Serve the agua fresco over ice.