Uncle Bob goes to Dr. Ho's

We had Uncle Bob in for a quick visit this weekend. Among other things, we had a nice hike in Biscuit Run (Uncle Bob was impressed with our nearly private walking spot in the woods about 200 yards from our front door), enjoyed Wonder Woman (a female superhero to rival Buffy), and then Brad and I took Uncle Bob on a pilgrimage to the mighty Dr. Ho's. As usual, we ordered an absurd amount of food and left feeling overstuffed. Thanks to Uncle Bob (not gluten-free, not vegetarian), I was finally able to try the legendary Bellissima pizza (a Margherita pizza topped with shaved country ham, shaved Parmesan, and arugula dressed with a lemon vinaigrette), which was everything it's cracked up to be. We also tried some seasonal Watermelon Agua Fresca, which was very refreshing on a hot day.

This afternoon, I tried to recreate the drink and I think I got pretty close after a few tries messing with the proportions. Most of the recipes I looked at only used a tablespoon of sugar or other sweetener (such as agave nectar), but I had to keep increasing the amount to get it to taste like Dr. Ho's, and Mom definitely approved of more sugar. You can experiment with the sugar to get it how you like it.

UPDATE (8/4/18): I switched to a new recipe using a no-cook simple syrup to sweeten the agua fresca.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Adapted from Local Flavors (2002) by Deborah Madison, and Alice Medrich via Food52 (for the simple syrup)

You can serve this with a splash of tequila if you like.

No-cook simple syrup
⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (80 grams) water

Agua fresca
3 pounds of watermelon, with the rind
2 large limes
1 tablespoon orange blossom water, optional (you can substitute orange juice or an orange liqueur such as triple sec or Cointreau)

    1. For the no-cook simple syrup: Stir the sugar and water together thoroughly. Wait 10 to 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear. Makes about ½ cup simple syrup.
    2. Meanwhile, remove the rind from the watermelon and discard any seeds. You should have about 1½ pounds of watermelon flesh. Chop the flesh into large chunks; puree the chunks in a blender. If all you have is a personal blender (like a NutriBullet), you can puree the watermelon in batches. Transfer the watermelon puree to a wide-mouth pitcher or container.
    3. Cut 4 thin slices of lime for garnish. Squeeze the juice from the rest of the limes into the watermelon puree. Stir in the simple syrup and the orange flower water, if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in ice-filled glasses, garnishing each glass with a slice of lime. Makes about 1 quart, serving 4.