Hi Elsa / Blog

Recipe / Summer Jugo

It’s summer, it’s hot, fruits are in season- no better time than now to make some fresh juice!

Growing up my Abuela would make fresh jugo (juice) everyday at lunch from whatever was in season at Abuelo’s farm, be it mangos, papayas, or my favorite- passion fruit. As an adult I discovered aguas frescas- a mexican version of juice that’s less concentrated and low in sugar-which was perfect for me since I would always have to cut store-bought juice with water because of how sweet it was.

This season I’ve been playing with my own mashup of Abuela’s jugo and Mexican aguas. It’s actually surprisingly simple to make your own juice (no fancy juicer needed!), and to customize it exactly the way you like it. 

Strawberry-Mint Jugo

Tools:
Pitcher
Strainer
Spoon
Blender (or magic bullet in my case, whatever works)

Ingredients:
1 pint of strawberries, stems removed and chopped
2 cups water + additional water to taste
2-3 tablespoons sugar (more or less depending taste and sweetness of berries)
Fresh mint leaves
Ice

Combine strawberries, water and sugar in blender and blend until nice and liquified.
Pour through strainer into pitcher, using the back of the spoon to mash as much of the liquid out of the pulp as possible. Continue straining and mashing, discarding the pulp when it piles up in the strainer. Once strained, add more water and sugar to the juice to taste along with the mint leaves, muddling them a bit before to get flavor in the juice. Cucumbers also can be added as a substitute for the mint, they add a nice freshness to the juice.

Add a bit of alcohol (white rum or vodka) for a refreshing summer cocktail.

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It’s fun to experiment with different fruit combos, pretty much anything you can chop up and put in the blender is game. If fresh fruit isn’t available, frozen fruits work well, just let them thaw out before blending. If you have a latin or asian market nearby, they usually carry more exotic frozen pulps. For a yummy alternative use milk instead of water- it works especially well for pulpier fruits like mango and papaya.

Some great recipes from my bookmarks:

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Stawberry Vanilla Agua