One of the most refreshing ways to enjoy fresh fruit is in an agua fresca, a beverage made with pureed fruit, water, a touch of sugar and maybe some lime juice or herbs. Here in Los Angeles, every taco stand worth its salt has a big jar or three of the brightly-colored drinks standing by, but you don't have to be eating a drippy carnitas taco to enjoy the thirst-quenching, pure fruit flavor of aguas frescas. Especially not when they are this easy to make at home.

All you need is a blender or food processor to puree the fruit and cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve to strain the pulp. From there, any ripe fruit is fair game. Play around with fruit and herb combinations, or try one of the recipes below.

RECIPES FROM THE KITCHN
• Watermelon-Lime Agua Fresca
• Honeydew-Basil Agua Fresca
• Marionberry Rosewater Agua Fresca

ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
• Peach Lavender Agua Fresca at the LA Times
• Strawberry Vanilla Agua Fresca at Serious Eats
• Cantaloupe-Basil Agua Fresca at Bon Appetit
• Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca at Simply Recipes
• Strawberry & Rosemary Agua Fresca at Food52
• Pineapple Ginger Agua Fresca at Matt Bites
• Tamarind & Date Agua Fresca at Bon Appetit

What are your favorite aguas frescas flavor combinations?

(Images: Liz Vidyarthi)