drinks

Agua de Jamaica

The ruby-red hibiscus agua fresca that lives on every Mexican fonda counter. Tart, floral, and deeply refreshing — brewed from dried jamaica flowers, sweetened just enough, and served over plenty of ice.

⏱

Prep

10 minutes

🔥

Cook

10 minutes

🍽

Servings

6

📊

Difficulty

Medium

Agua de Jamaica

1 Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried jamaica flowers (flor de jamaica)
  • 1.5 liters (6 cups) water, divided
  • 3/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
  • Ice cubes, to serve

2 Instructions

  1. 1

    Boil the jamaica flowers in 1/2 liter (2 cups) of the water for 10 minutes.

  2. 2

    Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then strain the concentrate, discarding the flowers.

  3. 3

    In a pitcher, combine the jamaica concentrate with the remaining 1 liter of water and the sugar; stir until fully dissolved.

  4. 4

    Taste and adjust sweetness — jamaica should stay distinctly tart.

  5. 5

    Pour over plenty of ice and serve cold.

💡 Tips from the Kitchen

  • →

    Organic jamaica from Michoacán or Oaxaca can be cold-steeped overnight instead of boiled, with even cleaner flavor.

  • →

    Save the spent jamaica flowers — they make excellent vegetarian taco filling with onion and chile.

#drink#agua-fresca#non-alcoholic#Mexican#hibiscus