Strawberry Thyme Agua Fresca

I like pop.  But I don’t like to keep it in the house because then I feel like the husband and I drink it more often than we should.  When I was growing up, we were only allowed to drink pop on the weekends, so now that I’m an adult and free to drink it whenever I’d like to, I’m looking for alternatives…go figure.  Sometimes water just isn’t enough to satify my thirst.  Sometimes I feel like I need a drink with a little more flavor.  So what do you do if you don’t want to consume soda or those sugar-filled lemonades and teas at the store?  Hello agua frescas!  Oh so refreshing and easy to make.  Best of all, you can use just about any type of fruit, and you control the amount of sugar.

Matt Armendariz has a few recipes for aguas frescas on his website.  Since June is the month of strawberries in our Seasonal Potluck, I decided to try the Strawberry Thyme recipe.

Strawberry Thyme Agua Fresca, from Matt Bites

Thyme Simple Syrup
1/2 cup loosely packed thyme sprigs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 water

Bring the water and sugar to a boil and then add the thyme. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Strain and remove the thyme.

For the Drink:
4 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries with 2-4 cups of water to blend
8-10 cups of water

Puree the fruit and water in batches and then strain to remove any seeds or pulp. You can use a fine sieve or cheesecloth and you’ll want to get as much solids out of the liquid. Add the simple syrup to the strained liquid and then dilute with 10 cups of water. At this point you can adjust the sugar and water levels to your liking. Serve over plenty of ice and enjoy!

I served this as the non-alcoholic option at a recent party, but some people opted to add some vodka.  Was also delicious and refreshing! (I may have had a sip).

Here’s a shot of the strawberry plant growing on our deck.  Can’t wait to see how it does, as this is my first time planting one! Regardless, it looks pretty cute out there. 🙂