Cherry Pomegranate Agua Fresca

A sparkly refreshing beverage that’s not overly sweet, flavored with real cherries, pomegranates and orange. Agua fresca is meant to be light, not super sugary. It’s sparkly, but it’s not soda … although if you want it to be, just add a little more cherry syrup and it could become a homemade fruit soda.

The inspiration for this drink was from a lunch outing I took with my friend Teresa. We both love to cook, so we very rarely go out for lunch. Or at least that’s my excuse. I have so much food at home! Going out seems wasteful.

But going out for lunch occasionally is good for your social life and, as Teresa says, it’s a grownup thing to do. So we’ve made a date to go out once a month, every third Thursday. The first time we went out, we went to this quaint little place called “Old Soul Cafe”. It’s got a beautiful, rustic ambiance with lots of plants and reclaimed wood and other interesting little things all over. The food is fresh, healthy and very creative. I ordered a Brazilian steak salad … Teresa had the other salad and I can’t even recall now what her salad was. They were both amazing both to look at and even more pleasing to eat. And then for drinks they had an agua fresca or a homemade iced tea. I ordered the tea. It tasted like tea, with no sugar or sweetener. Teresa ordered the agua fresca and she was just smitten with it. It was beautiful! Not too sweet … just a bit of pear nectar with some sparkly water and a few fresh blueberries.

That agua fresca was burning in my memory ever since that lunch. I was dying to make one at home. I looked in my fridge and took stock of what I had on hand. Pomegranate juice, clementines and lots of homemade syrups. I decided the cherry syrup was the thing and poured myself an agua fresca. It was SO yummy and pretty! A vibrant red color that was just striking.  I sipped on my lovely agua fresca as I munched on my clementine rice & kale salad … because why not enjoy a fancy meal at home by yourself? I like to treat myself to good, tasty, healthy food. It makes me feel good from the inside out.

Cherry Pomegranate Agua Fresca

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: You'll have enough syrup for about 10 - 16 servings

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Ingredients

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For the cherry syrup:

• 1 lb. fresh or frozen sour cherries
• 1/2 – 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the agua fresca:

• Clementine or orange wedges/slices
• 1 oz. pomegranate juice
• 1/2 oz. cherry syrup
• Chilled sparkling water (club soda) or water

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the cherries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the cherries have popped, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is fragrant with cherries. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat, strain out the cherries (reserving for another use), then pour the syrup into a jar and refrigerate until cold.
2. At serving time, fill a tall glass about half way with ice. Rub the rim with a wedge from the orange, then squeeze it into the glass, putting the wedge into the glass as well.
3. Pour in the pomegranate juice and cherry syrup, then fill the glass with sparkling water (or plain water, if you don’t want bubbles.) Stir, then garnish with a slice of orange (if desired) and enjoy!

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Full Plate Thursday, Weekend Potluck, What’s for Dinner? and Home Matters.