Mexico is the land of aguas frescas. Agua fresh, literally means fresh water, and it refers to traditional fresh fruit and/or veggie drinks. Aguas frescas are usually single-ingredient drinks, such as an agua de limon (a lime-ade), agua de piña (pineapple) or my favorite: agua de tamarindo (tamarind drink). And some aguas are simple combos such as a lime and cucumber agua fresca. Interestingly, the lime and cucumber flavor is usually made with nutrient-dense chia seeds and is recommended for a healthy digestion.
Walk down most streets, especially those around or in the town square, and you may find a vendor or two serving a variety of aguas frescas out of huge glass containers. The drinks are then served in a plastic baggie with a straw, which is great while exploring the town! During market day or special event, vendors multiply and make it hard to choose between tables of colorful options!
I spent three weeks in Mexico last month and indulged in a lot of agua fresca. A lot more than I expected! Although aguas frescas are made with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables - which typically sounds healthy - the amount of sugar used to sweeten some of these drinks is not healthy.
Once home, I decided to try my hand at making aguas frescas for my family but using finished water kefir, in hopes that I would not need to add additional sweetener. And I struck gold! My son now regularly asks for agua de jamaica, which is made with dried hibiscus flowers. And my daughter finishes the agua de toronja (grapefruit drink) as soon as I set the pitcher down.
Water kefir grains are dairy free, unlike milk kefir grains, and are not interchangeable with milk kefir grains. If your family tolerates dairy, I highly recommend sourcing milk kefir because you can have a daily quart of milk kefir, which is similar to yogurt, but homemade!
Both recipes below require finished water kefir. With almost zero effort, I have a quart of finished water kefir every other day with grains purchased from Cultures For Health a few years ago.
Purchased from a reputable site, water kefir grains need to be hydrated before use. Ask a friend who makes makes kombucha or water kefir at home and they will most likely be happy to share some grains and they can reproduce!
Dried hibiscus flowers are available in most well-stocked grocery stores, ethnic grocery stores and it is commonly labeled as 'flor de jamaica'. The flowers can be ordered online as well.
Water Kefir Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Cooler)
- 1 quart finished water kefir (I purchased my grains here)
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
- 2-3 cups fresh cool water
- Additional sweetener, if needed (gently warmed raw honey is a good option)
In a glass container, combine the finished water kefir and dried hibiscus flowers. Cover and let the water kefir mixture sit for 2-4 hours. The liquid will get really dark and red!
Strain the drink into a clean glass pitcher and discard the dried flowers. Add 2 cups of fresh water, stir and taste. This drink is normally a tiny bit on the tart side but add the final cup of water, if needed, after tasting. And add additional sweetener, as desired.
Chill before serving.
Water Kefir Agua de Toronja (Grapefruit Cooler)
- 1 quart finished water kefir (I purchased my grains here)
- 3 grapefruits, juiced
- Additional sweetener, as desired (gently warmed raw honey is a good option)
- 1 teaspoon organic sugar, optional, for a second ferment*
In a glass pitcher, stir the grapefruit juice and finished water kefir together. Taste and add additional sweetener, as desired.
Chill before serving.
*This version can be fermented to a natural bubbly soda-like drink. Add the grapefruit juice, finished water kefir, and 1 teaspoon organic sugar to a glass jar with a tightly fitted lid. Cap and set aside at room temperature for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, bubbles should appear and it can chilled before serving. The flavored kefir can be fermented for longer than 24 hours but it may become slightly alcoholic so use common sense when serving!
Comments
Post a Comment