What To Drink In Mexico? Iced Tea Or Aguas Frescas.

Summer is kicking in and with higher temperature levels, humidity rises and so does the heat, you are in Mexico, you are thirsty but it might be a little too early for a cocktail or a beer so you start asking yourself about travel etiquete and what to drink in Mexico?

The common asumption in the United States would be: it´s time for some Iced Tea! But you are not on the streets of New York in the summer, you are further south enjoying the caribbean with a gorgeous beach in front of you, what can you have in Mexico instead of the good old iced tea?

When in Mexico, you do what locals do and that is drinking Aguas Frescas. But… what exactly is Aguas Frescas?

The rich soils of Mexico give life to an astounding number of seeds, fruits and flowers and the knowledge of mexicans throughout centuries has always found a way to make the best out of its nature, including finding ways of making everything taste better, including water.

Aguas Frescas are basically infused water with either sweet fruits such as watermelon, lemon, lime or oranges, more bitter fruits like starfruit or dragonfruit, seeds like chia and flowers like hibiscus.

Just hit the streets of any city or town in Mexico and you´ll encounter street vendors selling all kinds of delicious fruits and aguas frescas to give you a break from the heat.

So, does that mean that you can´t find iced tea in Mexico? Not at all, you can find as many types and brands as in the US but our point is, you have to try aguas frescas because basically they do much more for you than just satisfy your thirst.

What are the most popular flavors?

Although they may vary from region to region but there´s no doubt that there are clear winners in terms of popularity and those are Agua de Jamaica and Agua de Horchata. Since they are made out of raw fruit (in most cases) they are considerably less sugary than regular iced tea, a 100% organic and simply DELICIOUS.

Agua de Jamaica is made out of the hibiscus flower, sweetened with either sugar or honey and sometimes a few slices of lemon can be added. Enjoy it with some ice and it will be the perfect companion for every meal.

On the other hand, Agua de Horchata is made out of rice, sounds weird, right? But it is actually very delicious, some vanila and cinnamon are also added to the mix that makes it taste smooth, refresing and sweet, almost like drinking a dessert. Yumm isn´t it?

One of the most popular options in Cancun and Riviera Maya is Agua de Chaya. Chaya is a leave used by mayans since ancient times; very similar to spinach but has to be boiled in water and is usually mixed with lemon, pineapple or orange and cooled, in recent years scientists discovered tremendous health benefits of this leave such as improving blood circulation, helps digestión, helps lower cholesterol, decongest and disinfects the lungs, improves memory and brain functions, combats arthritis and diabetes among other miracles.

Then beverages made out of other seasonal fruits can be found, like watermelon, passionfruit or even kiwi, the flavours are endless and they are the healthiest option in terms of what to drink in Mexico plus, you will be able to find it in most places and in most of the tours and excursions you may want to do that include a full buffet meal, aguas frescas are the first beverages to be offered.

So, once you are back at home and feel a little overwhelmed by the heat and think of a tasty and refreshing drink, please remember your vacations in Mexico and try to make your own agua fresca, it will taste like vacations and you will have a new healthy and tasty beverage making skill, a win-win situation if you ask me!