Agua fresca is Spanish for cool water or fresh water. It is a refreshing drink that does its name justice and comes in a variety of flavors. Try one of our 4 agua fresca recipes for your next party.
What Is Agua Fresca?
Agua fresca is a light non-alcoholic drink popular in Mexico and Central America. It is generally made from water and fruit, but it differs from fruit juice. When the weather is warm, this refreshing drink is served at a variety of places, from street vendors to restaurants.
What Is Agua Fresca Made Of?
An agua fresca drink is a versatile drink that can be made from various ingredients, but fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs are the most popular options. These non-alcoholic drinks are made from natural ingredients, making them a healthier choice than soda while still quenching your thirst.
If you want a sweeter drink, you can add your preferred sweetener, just keep in mind that if you are using granulated sugar, it might be easier to make a simple syrup first before adding it to your ingredients.
Once you’ve combined all your ingredients, you can choose to strain it to make a smoother drink, or you can drink it as is (just remember to add ice as this drink needs to be cold).
What Does Agua Fresca Taste Like?
Since agua fresca is created by combining a variety of ingredients, you can play around with flavor combinations to suit your tastes. Agua fresca is generally described as the middle ground between flavored water and juice, but if you want a more fruity or nutty flavor, you would change your ingredients around.
While you can pick and choose your ingredients, there are some flavors that can generally be found at most stands. Some of these more common flavors include horchata, tamarind, and hibiscus.
Is Agua Fresca Carbonated?
No, agua fresca is generally made by combining fruit, water, and sugar in a blender. Once the mixture has been pureed, it can be strained to remove the pulp (you can skip this step if you want to!).
If you added carbonated water before blending, you would reduce the amount of carbonation in the water. You can play around with carbonated water if you want to, but if you are looking for an authentic agua fresca experience, you’d skip the carbonation.
How Long Does Agua Fresca Last In The Fridge?
Generally, agua fresca is served immediately over ice, or you would add ice to your pitcher before serving. But if you find that you’ve made too much of the beverage, or if you want to make some beforehand so that it can chill in the refrigerator. It can safely be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
Once you are ready to drink it, just make sure you give it a good stir before serving to incorporate all the flavors again.
More Drink Recipes You’ll Love
The Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Arnold Palmer – A mix of tea and lemonade.
Let us know what you do if you try your hand at making this refreshing drink. It’s perfect for a Cinco de Mayo party and we love how simple this watermelon recipe is. It can be altered to add other fruit like cucumber or mango.
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What is Agua Fresca – Watermelon Agua Fresca
Ingredients
- 1 large watermelon, Remove the rind, cut into chunks and save 1/4 of the watermelon chunks for garnishing.
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 cups water
- 4 large limes, slice these to add to the drink dispenser for garnishes
Instructions
- Remove the rind from the watermelon and cut it into chunks.
- Add the watermelon, sugar, and lime juice into the blender. You might need to split this part up so it all fits into the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a large barrel or drink dispenser.
- Add the water and watermelon chunks and slices of lime.
- Pour in the ice 10 minutes before serving.
This sounds amazing, I just bought a mini watermelon today and will have to make this!
Yay! Let me know what you think!
Yum! This drink is so refreshing! Love adding watermelon in drinks. My kids can’t get enough!