Aguas frescas

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Two large jars of aguas frescas in a taqueria in Seattle, Washington,USA. On the left is a jar of jamaica and on the right is a jar of horchata. Restaurant employees serve the drinks by ladling them from the jars into glasses.

Aguas frescas (Spanish for "fresh (cold) waters") are a combination of either fruits, cereals, or seeds, and sugar and water, blended together to make a cheap and refreshing beverage. Although most common in Mexico, aguas frescas are also popular in Central America and the Caribbean. Some of the most popular flavors include agua de tamarindo (made with tamarind pods), agua de jamaica (made with roselle), and agua de horchata (usually made with rice).

In Mexico the beverage is often sold by street vendors who ladle the juice into plastic bags. A straw is inserted into the opening and the top is taped closed.

It may be made with other ingredients, mainly with liquefied fruits:

Sweet fruits

• Melon
• Papaya
• Watermelon
• Mango
• Guava

• Lemon (squeezing with a juicer)
• Lime
• Orange (squeezing with a juicer)
• Pineapple
• Tamarind
• Strawberry
• Cucumber
• Soursop

• Roselle water, like a cool tea
• Horchata, which is made with barley or chufa (root of Cyperus esculentus), and in Mexico is made often of rice, rarely of oat, and scented with vanilla
• Alfalfa, blending fresh alfalfa leaves with water

External links

• [Agua fresca recipe]

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