Back in India watermelon was essentially a summer fruit, but here in US I've seen watermelon at stores all year round. Funny observation though- watermelon in summer in US is huge, family-size and in winter it is small, individual-size. Totally bizarre, but for a family who loves watermelon- size does't matter!
Talking about the size of the watermelon, husband picked out quite a big one during his last visit to the Indian store. We have been shopping in bulk during lockdown and assuming he wouldn't have to grocery shop for the next few weeks, he picked out one which was almost twice the size of a soccer ball- it was huge. We enjoyed chilled watermelon for numerous days, but there is always this last chunk that turns deep red and almost mushy that no one wants to eat. You don't want to eat it and you don't want to waste it. So what do you do? Well, you make a drink and in my case I made a Chili Watermelon Agua Fresca.
In case you were wondering, Agua Fresca is an easy, refreshing fruit drink. While it's made from just fruit, water, lime juice, and a little sweetener, this combination will surely quench your thirst. I used a generous quantity of green chillies, 3 precisely cuz we like ours with a kick. The sweetness of watermelon with a dash of lime and mint, a hint of chili and chilled with loads of ice made for a refreshing summer drink. This drink is certainly not for those who can't handle some heat.
Watermelon - once you've blended the watermelon in the blender with the ingredients, I would recommend straining it. I like to use clear watermelon juice versus the mushy pulp that separates in layers if allowed to sit longer. Your drink will last longer this way if you aren't serving it right away.
Sweetener - This drink calls for a sweetener, I used honey which can be substituted with maple syrup, you could definitely alter the quantity depending on how sweet your watermelon is. If it is too sweet I would recommend adjusting the quantity of sweetener accordingly.
Chillies - I used the Indian green chillies aka the thai green chillies, but you could totally use habanero, if that is the one if you have on hand. Alter the number of chillies used as per your liking.
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