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drinks

Wordless Wednesday: Store-bought Tepache

1 · Apr 3, 2013 · Leave a Comment

As I’ve been checking out as many Mexican grocers in Los Angeles as possible, I’ve noticed one product (made by a few different brands) that was not common to find in the Mexican supermarkets in Chicago: bottled tepache. I haven’t tried any yet, but I think I will soon just because I’m seeing it everywhere and I’m getting more and more curious how it tastes compared to the homemade tepache I’ve had in Mexico and Chicago from taquerías and street stands.

tepache_TOSOTT

The fermented pineapple drink has a hard cider quality and is originally from the state of Jalisco.

For a home-brewed recipe, check out this step-by-step tepache recipe and tutorial from my friend Pati Jinich from Pati’s Mexican Table.

I used to frequently find tepache at an aguas frecas stand at the Maxwell Street Market (every Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free admission and most vendors only accept cash). For more places to find tepache in Chicago, check out this August 2012 article from the Chicago Tribune.

  • Have you had store-bought or bottled tepache? Is it any good and do you have a preferred brand I should try?

drinks, Finding Mexico in Los Angeles, Jalisco, Wordless Wednesday piña, pineapple, tepache

Charred Orange Colada

0 · Dec 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment

If there’s one drink I’m guaranteed to order by the pool when I’m on vacation, it’s a classic piña colada. When I talked about this charred orange colada recipe with McCormick Spices Chef Kevan Vetter, it had me salivating for vacation and this interesting twist on the classic frozen cocktail.

It’s a simple recipe to follow, and the charred orange and black rum give this colada a decadent depth that makes it a sophisticated version of the classic.

You can also substitute 2-3 ounces of piloncillo for the brown sugar if you want to give it even more of a Mexican flavor.

In Spanish, allspice is called pimienta dulce, and you should be able to find it in both mainstream and Latino markets.

Print
Charred Orange Colada (Recipe from McCormick Spices)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Charred Orange Colada (Recipe from McCormick Spices)

This interesting twist on the classic piña colada cocktail has smoky charred oranges, rich black rum and warm allspice in every sip.

Ingredients

  • 4 oranges
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Whole Allspice
  • 1 can (13.66 oz) Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
  • 12 cup black rum
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1-2 cups crushed ice
  • 4 maraschino cherries (optional for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Cut three of the oranges in half, crosswise. Cut ends off the remaining orange and then cut into 4 crosswise slices. Dip the cut sides of the orange halves in the brown sugar. Reserve the remaining brown sugar.
  2. Grill oranges over medium heat for about 12 minutes or until charred. Turn slices occasionally. Reserve the slices for garnish.
  3. Place orange halves, orange juice, allspice and reserved brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and cool completely. Remove orange halves from the pan and squeeze the juice from them back into the saucepan. Mix well and strain juice. Refrigerate until chilled.
  5. Place juice mixture, coconut milk, rum, vanilla and 1 cup of ice in the blender and blend on high until smooth. Add more ice if desired.
  6. Serve garnished with charred orange slices and maraschino cherries.
3.1
https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2012/12/charred-orange-colada/
©2009-2015 theothersideofthetortilla.com

Want to know more? You can read the full 2013 McCormick Flavor Forecast report on the future of global flavor trends and how they develop the forecast at flavorforecast.com.

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to promote McCormick Spices 2013 Flavor Forecast global flavor trend report. We received promotional materials and an exclusive interview with McCormick’s executive chef to assist in writing this post, but all opinions in this series are our own.

drinks, Recipe, Sponsored allspice, coconut milk, leche de coco, McCormick Spices, naranjas, oranges, pimienta dulce, ron, rum

Shelling out for agua de coco

1 · Jun 15, 2012 · 3 Comments

I love fresh agua de coco and it’s relatively easy to find in many parts of Mexico. In Chicago, though, it’s less accessible (read: almost impossible to find).

So, I have a love-hate relationship with buying agua de coco in the store when I’m really craving it. On one hand, I’m grateful I can get it at all. But on the other hand, the dilemma for me is twofold: the mass-produced version lacks the same taste as the fresh kind—obviously—but also has a much, much higher price tag.

I’ve even gone so far as to throw away the receipt after buying it because I felt bad about how much I spent (…and maybe because I didn’t want the Mr. to know how much it actually cost).

But on several occasions, I’ve caved and bought a single serve juice box (like the one pictured here) to take with me to the office. Or if I see it on sale, I’ll sometimes buy two regular-sized tetra packs and treat myself.

I can’t help but wonder if I’m the only one who is subconsciously chastising myself for buying it, though. When we traveled through the Carribbean, South and Central America and Mexico on a family vacation in 2009 and we saw stands along the road offering fresh agua de coco all over the place—often for less than the equivalent of a single U.S. dollar—those images stuck in my head. I remember thinking, “if they only knew what we paid for this back home.” And those images stuck with me; they flash in my mind each time I pick up a tetra pack off the shelf at the grocery store and most of the time, I end up putting it back.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal from earlier this year, some industry estimates say U.S. retail sales for coconut water reached around $400 million in 2011. Furthermore, the industry has roughly doubled its revenue every year since 2005, largely due to endorsements and consumption by celebrities and athletes. Something about it seems exploitative to me.

Mexicans (and others throughout Latin America) have been drinking coconut water since long before it was deemed cool by the U.S., but it’s considered a luxury product here and comes with a luxury product price tag. When I have kids, I’m sure I’ll much prefer giving them natural juices and things like coconut water over sugary drinks, but I feel guilty about the cost. I know even if I make the personal choice not to buy it, that many others still will.

  • Do you struggle with this too, or am I crazy?

 

Cocina Confessional, drinks agua de coco

Agua fresca de mandarina

81 · Mar 10, 2012 · 6 Comments

Mandarin oranges make a very refreshing agua fresca.

This is an incredibly simple recipe, but one I’ve been asked for time and again by friends. It’s perfect for serving with any meal, and any gathering—large or small.

mandarin oranges and agua fresca de mandarina

I love mandarin oranges both because of the refreshing, sweet juice they produce and their portability as a vitamin-packed snack.

When I first met my cuñada, she used to take me out for aguas frescas and we almost always ended up with agua de mandarina, one of her favorites—and consequently, now, one of my favorites too.

Aside from agua fresca de mandarina, this citrus fruit is also great for making mandarin orange margaritas!

…

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Aguas frescas, drinks, Recipe aguas frescas, fruit, fruta, mandarin oranges, mandarina, naranjas, vegan

Atole de fresa

23 · Jan 23, 2012 · 13 Comments

Long, cold winter nights mean one thing in my house: we’re making hot drinks to warm us up! One of my favorite cold-weather drinks is atole, especially because it’s customary to drink with breakfast or after dinner. The two most common flavors are vanilla and strawberry—atole de vainilla y atole de fresa. If you make it with chocolate, it’s called champurrado.

It’s a masa-based drink where the dissolved masa acts as a thickening agent to make this hot drink the kind of hearty treat that will really stick to your ribs. I’ve talked before about the availability of atole that comes in powdered packets, but next to my champurrado recipe (which uses prepared store-bought masa from my local tortillería), this version using Maseca instant corn masa flour is even easier to make and a sure step above the flavor from a packet. It’s a homemade taste without all the work of grinding your own nixtamal or having to dissolve masa using cheesecloth. It’s what you might call a semi-homemade version, if you will.

This drink dates back to pre-Columbian times in Mexico and is well documented as a form of sustenance amongst the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Historical texts tell us it was often flavored with fruits, spices or chiles.

Sometimes atole is also made with different colors of corn (I’ve personally tasted atole made with white, yellow and blue corn bases) and milk or water as the liquid. I don’t like my atole to be too thin so I have a habit of making it very thick at the beginning and then thinning it out with milk or water as needed. If you prefer yours to be thinner, you can use all water instead of milk, and reduce the portion of Maseca instant corn flour to your liking.

If you want more berry flavor, you can add another whole cup of strawberries and use more water than milk so it doesn’t thicken too much or dilute the berry flavor.

This recipe produces the best strawberry flavor when you use berries that are very ripe. A trick to my recipe is that I macerate the strawberries before I put them in the blender (which just means I slice them up and, place them in a bowl and sprinkle sugar over them to allow the natural juices to come out).

If you won’t consume the atole immediately after cooking, store in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed to the top of the liquid so a skin doesn’t form over the top. If a skin does form, you can gently remove it with a spoon, but then you’re not getting to enjoy your whole batch. A final note: make sure the Maseca you’re using is specifically for tortillas and not tamales or you’ll get a different consistency.

…

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Breakfast and Brunch, Dessert, drinks, Maseca Amigas Blogueras, Recipe, Sponsored atole, atole de chocolate, atole de fresa, atole de vainilla, champurrado, Maseca

Agua de melón

7 · Sep 2, 2011 · 3 Comments

Today on the Kenmore Genius Blog, I’m sharing a quick and simple recipe to make agua de melón in your blender. I especially love to drink this with breakfast.

The basic ingredients: Cantaloupe, a little sugar, water and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If your melon is super ripe, you can also reduce the sugar by half or leave it out completely for a healthier, no-sugar-added version—it’s up to you. Hop on over to the Genius Blog for more on this recipe. This recipe calls for cantaloupe, but you can also use honeydew melon (melón verde).

Print
Agua de melón

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 3 to 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 of a ripe cantaloupe
  • 1/4 cup of sugar dissolved in a half cup of warm water
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • Optional: juice of half a lime

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the sugar in a half cup of warm water to create a simple syrup. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  2. Cut the cantaloupe into cubes and put it into the blender with 1 cup of water until it’s completely liquified and smooth.
  3. Place a fine sieve over a pitcher and pour the contents of the blender through it to strain. Use a spoon to press any remaining juice through the sieve.
  4. Add the simple syrup to the pitcher and stir well. If you opt to use the lime juice, add that after the simple syrup.
  5. Serve chilled or over ice. Yields 3 to 3-1/2 cups of juice, depending on the ripeness of your cantaloupe. Refrigerate any juice you’re not going to drink immediately and consume within two days.
3.1

https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2011/09/agua-fresca-agua-de-melon/

©2009-2015 theothersideofthetortilla.com

If you want to read more about aguas frescas, check out some of my previous recipes here on The Other Side of The Tortilla:

  • Agua de jamaica (hibiscus flower)
  • Agua de piña (pineapple)
  • Agua de tuna roja (red prickly pear)

Did you like this recipe? Please share it with your familia and amigos! ¡Gracias!

Aguas frescas, drinks, Kenmore Genius Blog, Recipe agua de jamaica, agua de melón, agua de piña, agua de tuna roja, aguas frescas, fruit, fruta

Wordless Wednesday: Pulque in a can?

23 · Aug 31, 2011 · 32 Comments

A few weeks ago at the Mexican grocery store where I usually shop, something caught my eye in the refrigerator aisle… yes, a six-pack of canned pulque! Not only that, but multiple flavors! If you’re not familiar with it, pulque is a traditional Mexican beverage made of fermented (but not distilled) juice or sap of the maguey plant. It’s sort of a cloudy beverage with less alcohol content than beer or wine. More on this traditional drink another time, but I want to know…

  • Would you try pulque in a can?

drinks, Wordless Wednesday "hojas de maguey", "pencas de maguey", agave, maguey, pulque

Limonada

43 · Jun 13, 2011 · 4 Comments

How to make a classic fizzy Mexican limonada with fresh lime juice, sugar and sparkling water. Recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.comI love fizzy drinks and my all-time favorite fizzy drink is a Mexican limonada, of course!

Every time we go to Mexico, and particularly when we’re visiting the beach, a limonada is always the drink I choose to quench my thirst after getting my fair share of sunshine.

I’ve also been known to order it everywhere from poolside to fancy restaurants – I just can’t get enough.

This drink is so simple to make, yet I get so many emails and phone calls from friends asking how to make it. And with the Wordless Wednesday post last week about limonada y sol, I figured it would be almost cruel to not tell you how to make it. I’m finally sharing a recipe so you can have this sweet fizzy drink at home!

You can also make this drink with still water, but the carbonated water gives it a little something extra to make it different. I typically use lightly carbonated water, but you can use whatever you like depending on your preference for bubbles.

I like to drink limonada when it’s hot and sunny, but also when I’m really missing México lindo y querido….

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drinks, Recipe agua mineral, azucar, granulated cane sugar, lime, limón, sparkling water

Wordless Wednesday: Limonada y sol

1 · Jun 8, 2011 · 8 Comments

Give me a limonada and sunshine and I’m happy! I took this photo oceanside under a palapa in Huatulco last year.

  • What about you? What one thing paired with sunshine puts a smile on your face?

drinks, Oaxaca, Travel, Wordless Wednesday Huatulco, iPhone photography, Las Bahías de Huatulco, limonada, Oaxaca

How to make horchata

44 · Apr 11, 2011 · 35 Comments

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked for an horchata recipe since I began blogging. But each time I start explaining how to make it from scratch, I can see people start to lose interest around the time I mention that making horchata from scratch involves soaking rice and cinnamon sticks overnight and then grinding it and straining it. When I make it from scratch I sometimes also blanche almonds and soak them with the rice for an added depth of flavor. But the average person asking for a recipe always seems to get a frown on their face when they realize making it from scratch takes a little extra time and effort.

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcm9_7LVHv0[/youtube]

RELATED RECIPE: Oaxaca-style paletas de horchata

It was because of this dilemma of nobody wanting to take the time to soak and grind the rice that I began experimenting in the test kitchen to try to make an acceptable quick recipe substitute for those times when we just need a quick fix of a tall, cool glass of horchata. This is the simplest recipe I came up with that passed the taste test with family and friends. It beats any powdered or pre-made liquid mix I’ve tried from a variety of grocery stores. The store-bought mixes always taste either too sweet or too fake to me. I hope you enjoy this version if you’re looking for a quick but yummy horchata recipe!

…

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Aguas frescas, drinks, Recipe, Video aguas frescas, canela, cinnamon, horchata, la lechera, leche condensada, rice milk, sweetened condensed milk

Wordless Wednesday: Todos los sabores

0 · Mar 23, 2011 · 6 Comments

TAMARINDO | PIÑA | MANDARINA | MANGO | GUAYABA | FRESA

This past weekend I noticed that one of my local (non-Mexican) grocery stores carries an impressive selection of flavors of Jarritos! They have almost every flavor that exists – in fact, I couldn’t even fit all of them into one photo. I love these fruity refrescos, especially the limón-flavored one with a taco! Que rico, ¿no?

  • What’s your favorite flavor of these refrescos Mexicanos?

drinks, Wordless Wednesday iPhone photography, pop, refrescos, soda

Wordless Wednesday: Guilty pleasures

0 · Feb 23, 2011 · 13 Comments

I saw Mundet manzana verde in the grocery store last week in glass bottles and though I tried to resist because I’m trying to quit drinking sugary sodas and juices, I just couldn’t help myself.

This bright green and slightly tart apple-flavored refresco is a serious guilty pleasure for me. It’s a bit different than the regular Sidral Mundet apple-flavored soda that has more of a light caramel color and a mellow taste.

  • What are some Mexican guilty pleasures that you like to indulge in?

drinks, Wordless Wednesday iPhone photography

Best of The Tortilla from 2010

0 · Jan 3, 2011 · 4 Comments

Today we’re headed back to Chicago and la vida diaria, but so we don’t skip a beat while traveling, we’ve prepared a few lists, based on you, the readers, and what you loved most on The Other Side of The Tortilla in 2010. Click on the photos below to visit each recipe or story.

And don’t forget, for more homemade Tortilla goodness, a glimpse at what’s cooking in the Tortilla Test Kitchen and exclusive giveaways for fans, LIKE us on Facebook!

TOP 3 BEVERAGES/BEBIDAS

TOP 3 RECIPES/RECETAS

TOP 3 TRAVEL STORIES/CUENTOS DE VIAJE

TOP 3 VIDEOS

  • We hope you’ll find something new that you may have missed or that you rediscover a recipe or story you may have already read. If your favorite post isn’t listed here, let us know in the comments what you liked best. Also, please feel free to leave a comment with what you’d like to see in 2011!

Cultura/Culture, drinks, Mexico City, MexMonday, Morelos, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Recipe, Reflections/Pensamientos, Travel, Video albóndigas en salsa chipotle, Best of 2010, café de olla, Casa Azul, champurrado, chilaquiles, Cuernavaca, Huatulco, Kenmore Live Studio, Las Bahías de Huatulco, Mexico City, Morelos, Oaxaca, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, Querétaro, rajas con crema, sopa de fideo

Wordless Wednesday: Ingredients for La Navidad

1 · Dec 22, 2010 · 1 Comment

I went to the supermercado with my suegra a few days ago and saw these three things next to each other in the produce section. Nothing says La Navidad like guayabas, tejocotes and caña in a little ponche navideño, ¿Verdad? And it’s perfect to keep you warm at any posada.

  • What do you see in the grocery store that makes your mouth water at Christmastime?

Cultura/Culture, drinks, Holidays, Travel, Wordless Wednesday caña, Christmas, guava, guayaba, iPhone photography, La Navidad, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, sugar cane, tejocotes

Wordless Wednesday: Atole y Coyotas

0 · Dec 15, 2010 · 4 Comments

Last night I ate dinner at Merendera Las Lupitas, one of our favorite spots to eat in Mexico City. My favorite part was what came at the end of the meal: an atole and coyotas, which are a traditional dessert that originated in Sonora. They’re usually made with masa harina de trigo and stuffed with piloncillo. The coyotas at Las Lupitas are the best I’ve ever had. I’ll see if I can’t get my hands on a recipe to share with you soon. For more on atoles, check out my recipe for champurrado, an atole made with chocolate. And if you’re visiting Mexico City, you can find Las Lupitas right off of the Plaza Santa Catarina in the Coyoacán neighborhood.

  • What’s your favorite kind of atole? Have you ever had coyotas?

Algo dulce, drinks, Mexico City, Postres, Sonora, Wordless Wednesday atole, coyotas, iPhone photography, Merendera Las Lupitas

Wordless Wednesday: Boing de guayaba en vidrio

0 · Nov 17, 2010 · 8 Comments

A few months back, Tortilla reader Nelda was telling me on Twitter how much she loved Boing de Guayaba (guava-flavored fruit juice) in glass bottles but that she couldn’t find any where she lived. She mentioned the only place she’d ever seen it in the glass bottles was in Mexico City. Recently, she sent me a message to let me know she found a new little Chilango-owned changarro in her hometown that carries them. Now, every time I see Boing in glass bottles, I think of my amiga! I was in a Mexican grocery store here in Chicago and saw these on the shelf and couldn’t help but take a photo for her.

This photo was taken with my iPhone 3Gs using the ShakeItPhoto app by Banana Camera Co.

drinks, Mexico City, Wordless Wednesday Boing, guayaba, iPhone photography

Agua de tuna roja

15 · Sep 30, 2010 · 27 Comments

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/15416696[/vimeo]

I still remember the first time I saw tunas growing wild – José and I were visiting Mexico City one warm week at the end of the summer several years ago. One afternoon we were bored, so my suegra suggested that José take me on an official tour of Ciudad Universitaria. Also referred to as CU, it is home to the main campus of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (la UNAM or in English, the National Autonomous University of Mexico), the largest university in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007.

This year on September 22, UNAM celebrated 100 years since its founding as the National University of Mexico as it was conceptualized by Secretary and Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, Justo Sierra, and inaugurated in 1910 by President Porfirio Díaz. The university is also the successor to the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, founded by Spanish Royal Decree in 1551 – technically making UNAM one of the oldest universities in the Americas.

On the campus grounds, besides the historic buildings designed by some of Mexico’s most well-known architects, murals and sculptures by famous Mexican artists, an Olympic stadium that has hosted a Summer Olympic Games (1968) and a World Cup (1986), and an impressive number of students, faculty and staff, there exists a serene, green space that is as close to the original land’s flora and fauna as it might have grown freely during the height of the Aztec empire….

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Aguas frescas, Culture, drinks, How To, Mexico City, Recipe, Video aguas frescas, Aztecs, cactus fruit, cactus paddle, lime, limón, Mexica, nopales, prickly pear, receta vegetariana, Tenochtitlán, Toltec, tunas, UNAM, UNESCO

How to make agua de piña two ways

77 · Aug 28, 2010 · 12 Comments

Agua de piña is a very popular agua fresca served all over Mexico, and made from just a few ingredients.

How to make agua de piña, a Mexican pineapple agua fresca

…

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Aguas frescas, drinks, Recipe, Staple Recipes aguas frescas, fruit, fruta, piña, pineapple

How to make champurrado

267 · Apr 4, 2010 · 16 Comments

Champurrado is a chocolate atole, a masa-based drink that is popular in Mexico.

Atole is made with a nixtamal (corn) base from dissolving masa in water, sometimes with piloncillo, and heating until it becomes thick. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs type drink that’s guaranteed to keep you warm. It can come in many flavors. Vanilla atole, strawberry atole, and champurrado are the most typical flavors, but other flavors, such as pumpkin atole, fruit and nut flavors, also exist.

champurrado
champurrado

While champurrado is similar to Mexican hot chocolate in that they’re both in the hot, chocolate beverage category, the major difference is the taste and texture from the corn base.

…

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drinks, Recipe atole, atole de chocolate, champurrado, chocolate para mesa, cinnamon sticks, masa, masa harina, Merendero Las Lupitas, molinillo, piloncillo

How to make ponche navideño

31 · Jan 30, 2010 · 6 Comments

It’s not the holidays in Mexico without ponche navideño. This Mexican Christmas punch is served during las posadas, Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and at holiday parties, and is often spiked with brandy or rum.

ponche navideño

This recipe gives me such warm, fuzzy feelings and memories of being back in Mexico with our family for Christmas. Typically, this is a holiday punch, but in my house we sometimes drink it all winter long if we can find all the ingredients. …

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Christmas, drinks, Holidays caña, canela, Christmas, cinnamon, ciruelas deshidratadas, dried plums, guava, guayaba, La Navidad, Mexican hawthorn, naranjas, Navideño, oranges, ponche, posadas, sugar cane, tejocotes

Agua de jamaica

100 · Sep 12, 2009 · 9 Comments

Agua de jamaica is a staple agua fresca flavor made with dried hibiscus flowers.

Jamaica (pronounced “HAH-MY-CAH” in English; not like the country Jamaica) is a simple but unique drink, and has only two ingredients other than water. Aguas frescas—literally, “fresh water” fruit drinks—are very common all over Mexico. They come in many flavors: horchata (made with a rice-base), sandía (watermelon), agua de piña (pineapple), limón (lime), tamarindo (tamarind), naranja (orange), agua de mango and so on.

There are a lot of places in Mexico where you can buy aguas frescas out on the street, in the market, or as pre-made powder mixes. Most people make them at home from scratch because it’s so easy. Every time we visit family in Mexico, nearly every meal made at home is accompanied by an agua fresca.

Flor de jamaica (dried hibiscus flowers) used in agua fresca de jamaica #recipe on theothersideofthetortilla.com
flor de jamaica

Jamaica is made like tea, infusing the flavor and purple-red color of hibiscus calyces.

Like tea, jamaica is also a natural diuretic so don’t go drinking the whole pitcher in one day. (Yes, I once did that. You might also want to avoid drinking too much jamaica before bedtime.) The only real variation among recipes are the ratios used of sugar to water, and whether or not you dilute the juice (and if so, how much) when serving.

Some households serve their agua de jamaica a bit more tart like cranberry juice; we like ours a little on the sweeter side. I dilute it by adding half a glass of water to half a glass of juice.

I prefer a brand of granulated cane sugar called Zulka, which is Mexican, non-GMO, vegan-friendly and can be substituted 1:1 with processed white sugar. You can generally find this brand in all Mexican markets, many Latin American specialty grocers and even some mainstream retailers such as Target and Walmart.

 Agua de jamaica is a classic Mexican agua fresca #recipe made with dried hibiscus flowers. Get this and other Mexican recipes on theothersideofthetortilla.com. #aguafresca

1 vote

Print

Agua de jamaica

Prep 10 mins

Cook 5 mins

Inactive 2 hours

Total 2 hours, 15 mins

Author Maura Wall Hernandez

Yield 6 cups concentrated juice (should be diluted before consuming)

Agua de jamaica is a classic Mexican agua fresca recipe made with dried hibiscus flowers.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (about 2 ounces in weight) dried flor de jamaica (hibiscus flower calyces)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup Zulka morena granulated cane sugar
  • 8 cups water

Instructions

  1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a non-corrosive pot and add the flowers and the sugar. Stir to wet all the flowers and dissolve the sugar, and allow to boil for 3-5 minutes undisturbed.
  2. Remove from heat, stir, and allow to steep and cool to room temperature for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  3. Using a sieve over a pitcher, pour the liquid (with the flowers still in it) through the sieve to filter the flowers out. The flowers will have plumped up during rehydration. Press them against the sieve with your fingers or a spoon to extract any extra juice left inside.
  4. Refrigerate. When serving, cut with 50 percent water to dilute.

Notes

Total time includes 2 hours of cooling time for the concentrated juice to come to room temperature before serving or bottling and refrigerating.

*This recipe is vegan-friendly when using Zulka morena sugar.

Cuisine Mexican

 MORE AGUAS FRESCAS RECIPES:

  • Honeydew melon and cucumber (melón verde y pepino) agua fresca
  • Mandarin orange (agua de mandarina) agua fresca
  • Cantaloupe (agua de melón) agua fresca
  • Red prickly pear (agua de tuna roja) agua fresca

 

 

Aguas frescas, drinks, Recipe agua de jamaica, aguas frescas, flor de jamaica, hibiscus flower, vegan

CAFÉ DE OLLA

73 · Aug 24, 2009 · 25 Comments

I vividly remember the first time I really tasted café de olla. It was a sunny summer morning in Mexico City’s upscale Polanco district and I was eating brunch with my then-boyfriend and his parents at a well-known restaurant (side note: I would later marry him). I say “really tasted” because I know that a few times earlier in my life I’d had some bastardized versions—God-knows-where in the Midwest—that just had cinnamon in it and were called “Mexican coffee,” or worse, actually passed off as café de olla by name on the menu.

In terms of food and beverage experiences, this first taste of real café de olla was a pivotal moment in the way that I viewed coffee. It suddenly became more than a morning caffeine fix, laced with milk and sugar. The restaurant, El Bajío, has become one of my all-time-favorite places and is known for its truly traditional Mexican fare. They serve their café de olla in a beautiful tiny earthenware mug that resembles a larger olla. If you’ve never seen one, an olla is a big lead-free clay pot that is glazed on the inside for cooking and typically painted with a folk art design on the outside.

How to make authentic Mexican café de olla - recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.com

El Bajío also introduced me to many traditional foods that I’d never eaten before and changed the way I felt about Mexican cooking. So, I suppose to say it changed my view of coffee is certainly an understatement. It introduced me to a host of new flavors and ideas; it made me want to learn to cook traditional Mexican food and toss out any Americanized recipe I’d ever made. It is for the above reasons that I chose café de olla as the first recipe to share here.

If you’ve not been to Mexico City, you likely haven’t heard of El Bajío. Founded in 1972 by Raúl Ramírez Degollado and Alfonso Hurtado Morellón, the restaurant is now run by Carmen “Titita” Ramírez Degollado, who took over when her husband passed away in the late 1970s.  El Bajío has six locations: the original, Cuitláhuac, and five others. Of the many times I’ve had the pleasure to eat there, I’ve only ever visited the Polanco location but my husband has been to both the Cuitláhuac and Polanco dining rooms. Usually when we go to El Bajío with family, it’s to the one in Polanco.

To read more about the restaurant and to view their menu, you can visit El Bajío online.

When I returned to Chicago that summer, one of the first things I did was make the trip to a Mexican grocer in Pilsen to find piloncillo and start experimenting. Named for its cone shape, piloncillo is unrefined brown sugar, a result of the crystallization of two types of sugar cane. It’s also known as panela or panocha, though I wouldn’t walk into a store and ask for it using those names; you may get some strange looks due to the slang meanings.

How to make an authentic Mexican café de olla - recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.com

Some people like to flavor their café de olla with whole cloves, aniseed or allspice. I did a bit of research and there are even some weirdos who put semi-sweet chocolate in their café de olla—guacala. (A Spanish expression reserved for a supreme form of icky.) Not me; I like to keep it pretty simple.

Now, every time I drink café de olla, I close my eyes with the first sip and remember the start of my journey into traditional Mexican cooking. I hope you’ll enjoy my recipe below, and please feel free to leave comments with your thoughts, fond memories of café de olla or what you do differently in your recipe.

TIP: If you don’t have an olla (and most people don’t have this traditional clay pot) you can steep the coffee directly in the saucepan and strain before serving. I often use a 32-ounce French press to avoid spilling while straining the loose coffee grounds and cinnamon sticks from an olla; the instructions below are for steeping with a French press. If you use a saucepan or an olla, it is best to use a fine mesh sieve over a serving carafe to filter out the coffee grounds and cinnamon sticks. If you don’t have a fine mesh sieve, you can use a regular-sized sieve with some cheesecloth to catch the grounds.

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Café de olla

Yield: Yields 2 servings if you use big mugs or 4 servings if you use small coffee cups.

Café de olla

How to make authentic Mexican café de olla with a French press.

Ingredients

  • 3 ¼ cups water
  • ½ cup whole coffee beans
  • 2-3 sticks of Mexican cinnamon
  • 3-4 small cones of piloncillo (about 1 ounce each)
  • 1 teaspoon unsulphured molasses (optional, but adds a nice depth)

Instructions

  1. Boil the water in a medium saucepan. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the cinnamon sticks and piloncillo. Allow it to boil for a few minutes and then reduce to medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo is completely dissolved and you can smell the cinnamon.
  2. Remove from heat and let it sit to steep the cinnamon for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Grind the coffee beans to a medium-coarseness (make sure not to grind too fine or you’ll get sludge at the bottom of your cup). It’s important that the coffee is as freshly-ground as possible.
  4. Remove the cinnamon sticks and reserve.
  5. Pour the liquid mixture into the French press carafe. Pour coffee grounds over the liquid and push the press down just enough to fully wet the grounds, then pull up so the grounds are released and begin to steep. Allow it to steep for about 5 minutes.
  6. Pour into a small coffee cup. If you’d like, add a cinnamon stick to your cup for a little extra cinnamon flavor.
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https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2009/08/cafe-de-olla/

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drinks, Mexico City, Recipe café, canela, cinnamon, coffee beans, melaza, molasses, piloncillo

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Hi, I'm Maura Hernández. Welcome to my kitchen! I'm an award-winning food and travel blogger, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. Married to a Chilango, I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 15 years. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico! READ MORE

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