There’s a Mexican summer beverage tradition ( not particularly Tex-Mex) that will help you separate the authentic Mexican food devotées from the pretenders. It’s called Agua Fresca, and it’s quietly gaining mainstream traction…
‘Agua Fresca’ simply means ‘cooling water’ in English. And it’s expecially popular in Mexico and Central America where summer can be as much an annoyance as a pleasure.
Two main types….
They come in two types: Clear and Creamy. Another name for the latter is ‘Horchata’. All are slightly sweetened and kept light and refreshing in texture by adding a little cold water.
Regular Agua Frescas are usually made from one or more fruits [and or] flowers. Horchatas and their siblings are usually made from cereals and/or seeds, and come out of the blender a milky white in colour.
One common denominator
Agua Frescas are non-alcoholic. Another is, real, authentic Agua Frecas are not carbonated. That is, not to be confused other subtropical quaffs with similar names.
“In Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panamá soft drinks are referred to as ‘frescos‘ (short for refresco), which in Mexico means soft drinks and in Nicaragua means aguas frescas,” Wikipedia differentiates. “Soft drinks in Guatemala are called ‘aguas‘, short for aguas gaseosas, which could easily be confused with the Mexican aguas frescas or Nicaraguan soft drinks, called gaseosas.”
See what we meant by separating the jefes from the chicos?
The Bell steps in…
Taco Bell has apparently given itself the mission of popularizing the Agua Fresca – which it’s calling Agua Refresca – across its territory, introducing 4 new classic (clear) fruity versions, focused on its fast-expanding Live Más Café spinoff chain.
Try one of these colourful concoctions: Strawberry Passionfruit Agua Refresca; Dragonfruit Berry Agua Refresca; Mango Peach Agua Refresca; Pineapple Lime Rockstar Energy Refresca; Tropical Punch Rock-star Energy Refresca; and, lastly, the Refresca Freeze, which is a frozen take on the classic in a Straw-berry Lime flavor.
One feature that sets the Refrescas apart…
… Is that they are dosed with caffeine. Not a lot; just 51 mg – enough to give you the same ‘boost’ as one cup of regular coffee. Except for the Rockstar Energy versions. Which, at 200 mg of added caf-feine, is roughly equivalent to mid-range mainstream energy rinks.
My take
A lot of folks might be turned off, or cynical about fruity bevs of summer containing added caffeine, following last year’s string of tragic hospitalizations – including more then one death – from its now-discontinued ‘Charged’ Lemonade line. But the Taco Bell Refrescas are nowhere as ‘charged’ as the 400 mg per-serving Panera blasters.
Nevertheless, folks with a sensitivity to stimulants and kids should NOT partake of Refrescas, accord-ing to current FDA recommendations. Just to be safe…
~ Maggie J.