Cantaloupe Aqua Fresca with Beet Swirl
From the kitchen of CarlySweet, icy cantaloupe meets tart lime in this refreshing agua fresca. A silky beet swirl adds earthiness and jewel-toned color to every sip. Pure summer in a glass, no added complications.
- Prep
- n/a
- Cook
- n/a
- Total
- n/a
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
Ingredients
4 servings
- 11 small red beet (1/4 pound), scrubbed
- 11 (6-pound) ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and chopped (12 cups)
- 14 cups cold water, divided
- 11/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 11/4 to 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
Wrap beet in foil and put in a small 4-sided sheet pan, then roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Unwrap and let stand until cool enough to handle.
While beet roasts, purée cantaloupe, 3 cups water, lime juice, and 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (to taste) in 3 to 4 batches in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute per batch. Chill agua fresca until cold, about 2 hours.
Peel and chop beet, then purée with remaining cup water and remaining tablespoon sugar in cleaned blender until smooth. Chill beet purée until cold, about 2 hours.
To serve, pour agua fresca over ice in tall glasses, then dollop 1 Tbsp beet purée on top of each drink, swirling it decoratively with a spoon.