Cut away the rind from your watermelon and cube the flesh into 1-inch pieces. You need about 8 cups of cubes. A little pink juice in your cutting board is fine - it all goes in the blender.

Working in two batches if needed, blend the watermelon cubes until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. You want a thin, pourable puree with no chunks remaining.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large pitcher and pour the puree through, pressing gently with a spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the pulp left behind. This step gives you that signature silky texture - do not skip it.

Stir in the cold water, fresh lime juice, sugar, and pinch of salt. Taste and adjust - add more sugar if your melon was not super sweet, more lime for brightness. Chill for at least 1 hour or serve immediately over plenty of ice.

Fill glasses with ice, pour the agua fresca over top, and garnish with fresh mint leaves and lime wheels if you want to be fancy. The drink will separate as it sits - just stir before serving.