Agua de Fresa (Mexican Strawberry Water)

Agua frescas are a popular traditional drink in Mexico and this agua de fresa, strawberry agua fresca, is lightly sweet and fruity as well as perfectly refreshing. It's just what you need on a warm day.

If you have even visited Mexico, you will know that in most of the country, it can get pretty hot.

As a result, it's no surprise that you'll find various traditional drinks and treats to cool you down and rehydrate you.

In many towns, you'll find both shops and street vendors selling ice cream and paletas (ice pops) in a broad range of flavors, like mango paletas, various other fruits, and even some with chili.

Agua frescas are popular as well.

What are agua frescas?

Agua frescas are a range of drinks that live up to their name of "fresh water".

The exact origins of the refreshing drink are a little unclear, but some believe they were first made by the Aztec in the Mexico City region, where they are still popular.

Now, that popularity has spread to other parts of the country and beyond, and for good reason.

What is agua fresca made with?

The ingredients for agua fresca are traditionally all natural and very simple, often just fruit and water, with a little sugar as needed.

Many versions are made with tropical fruits, but you'll also find some made from seeds and flowers.

Some add a little extra lime or herbs for an additional fresh flavor.

Some popular fruit flavors include watermelon agua fresca, papaya, pineapple and cantaloupe agua fresca. Other favorites are agua de jamaica, made from hibiscus flowers, and agua de tamarindo, made from tamarind seeds.

Horchata, made with rice, is also generally considered an agua fresca.

A guide to creating your own agua fresca

Agua fresca is a fun drink to know how to create. After you know the basics, you can create your own versions with your favorite ingredients!

Fruit and Water

You can go relatively simple with just one fruit, like in this strawberry version. But you can also create your own drink with pretty much any combination of flavors you choose.

As a rough guide, use one part water to one part (by volume) of fruit as a start. This works well for juicier fruits like watermelon and mango.

If the fruits have more pulp and less liquid (like apples) you may want to increase the water to two or even 3 parts.

Until you know what works best for the fruit and your taste, if you start with one part water, you can then increase to taste.

Sweetener

In terms of sweetener, 1 tablespoon per 1 cup fruit is a good guide to start with. The sweetness is very much to taste, but also depends on the sweetness of the fruit you are using.

Lime and other add ins

A squeeze of lime helps add a little extra freshness to many versions, but use as it suits your taste.

A little mint can also be a great addition.

For non-fruit versions, obviously these guides don't quite apply so it is worth starting with a recipe and adjusting to your own taste.

For all, though, they can be fun to play around with flavors.

Do I strain agua fresca?

You then have a choice in whether you strain the mixture or not.

If you are looking at the health factor, then the pulp is what contains the fiber so arguably you want to keep it in there.

But, some of it will depend on how good your blender is as breaking down the fruit to smooth in the first place.

Finally, make sure you chill the drink or as a minimum, serve it over ice to make sure it is nice and cold. This way you maximize the refreshment factor, which is really what it's all about.

This strawberry agua fresca has a wonderful bright color and it tastes both fruity and refreshing. It's just sweet enough, with a great strawberry flavor and perfect to enjoy particularly on a hot day.