Watermelon Juice

Nothing beats watermelon juice as a thirst quencher on a hot day. It's hands down my favorite summer / tropical holiday drink. To me it's like a pre-shelled bag of pistachios; all the glory with none of the work! (No need to slow down for seeds having watermelon this way!)

- sweet, seedless watermelon*

- serving glass(es)

- fine mesh sieve

- knife

- blender (not pictured)

- spoon

- measuring cup that fits the sieve (not pictured)

- white sugar

- mint to garnish

- big wooden spoon (not pictured)

*Things to look for when choosing a watermelon:

1. Dull not shiny: A shiny skin indicates an unripe melon, a.k.a. less sweet.

2. A field spot: This is the spot where the melon was resting on the ground, and unlike most blemishes, it's a GOOD thing. If a melon has a nice dark, creamy yellow field spot, it means that it ripened on the vine for an adequate amount of time, making it sweeter than a melon with a white spot, or without one altogether.

3. The heaviest for it's size: Pick out a few good looking melons that are about the same size and choose the heaviest one. This one will have the most water content and produce the most juice!

Carefully cut the watermelon in half.

Cut one or both halves (depending on how much juice you want to make) into slices and then wedges.

Cut off the rinds.

Put the watermelon chunks into a blender with about 1/4 cup of water and liquify it.

If you have trouble getting the process started, use the end of a big wooden spoon (WHILE THE BLENDER IS OFF!) and push the chunks down towards the blades before hitting 'go' again.

Once the chunks are thoroughly blended, place the sieve on top of the measuring cup - or another container with a pouring spout - and strain the blended watermelon, removing the pulp.

Using the back of a metal spoon, make sure no watermelon juice get's left behind in the pulp by pushing down on the frothy pulp into the strainer.

Place the juice in the fridge and chill for 1 1/2 hours before serving.

I was just making juice for myself, so I only chopped and blended half of a small seedless watermelon and it produced two cups of juice.

Once the juice has finished chilling, place 1/4 cup of sugar in small plate. Give the plate a little shake to spread out the sugar, coating the whole surface of the plate 'floor'.

Wet the rim of your glass using one of the cut off watermelon rinds. (like pictured) Make sure to go all the way around coating the entire rim.

Place your glass upside-down into the sugar, coating the rim. (The sugar will stick to the watermelon juice you just put there.)

Fill your glass(es) with the freshly chilled juice, ice cubes optional.

Add a sprig of mint to garnish!

Serve immediately as this juice is best when cold.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

If you want to make the juice even sweeter, swap the 1/4 cup water for 1/4 cup of lime juice and add 1/4 cup of white sugar to the blender when mixing. Adjust the amount of sugar to taste. Add 4 mint leaves to each glass before adding ice or juice and muddle them with a back of a spoon to release the flavor. This is another wonderful way to enjoy the freshness of watermelon in a glass!

Watermelon Cocktail

To make a delicious 'adult' version of this drink, use the above Agua Fresca variation and simply add 1-2 ounces of vodka (to taste) to the serving glass before adding the juice! WARNING: These are reeeaally easy to drink. So choose how much you prepare wisely... : )