A tall, dripping tumbler of icy lemonade represents the all-American answer to beating summer heat.
But what if you're sour on citrus? What if you've drunk oceans of iced tea and glugged gallons of Gatorade?
Try agua fresca, a light beverage commonly concocted in Mexico and Latin America with pureed fruit or steeped flowers, sugar and water. The name literally translates as "fresh water."
"It's a cool, refreshing drink to have in the summer months," suggests Paul Judice, owner of Tortilleria La Rancherita, a Mexican restaurant/grocery store with locations in Bonita Springs, Naples and Immokalee. "My clients love them. Americans? Yes, they're curious."
In Mexico and other Latin countries, aguas frescas aren't just for summer.
"Everyone in Mexico has those at home," according to Barbara Peterson, who was born in Mexico City. She remembers her madre mixing aguas frescas for many a meal. "They're like American smoothies, but the difference is we've been doing them for hundreds of years."
The most common aguas frescas in Mexican restaurants here form a tonic trinity:
• Horchata ("or-CHA-ta"), a sweet, pearly liquid made by soaking rice in water; it's seasoned with cinnamon and other flavorings.
• Jamaica ("ha-MIKE-ah"), a sort of burgundy iced tea made by steeping dried flowers in water.
• Tamarindo ("tah-ma-RIN-doh"), a slightly tart tan liquid that derives from boiling tamarind pods in water.
Beyond the traditional flavors, the possibilities are unlimited. You can make aquas frescas with just about any fruit on hand — mangoes, papaya, melons, citrus, even cucumbers. You can season them with herbs like mint and lemongrass or spike them with ginger or chilies.
"There are so many different variations — you can make it as modern as you want," says Kathy Peterson, a Fort Myers personal chef who has traveled extensively in Mexico. "I remember a lot
of citrus and jicama and cactus that were infused in drinks."
Savor the flavor
Pina, limon, fresa —pineapple, lemon, strawberry.
These are just a few of the aguas frescas served at La Michoacana Natural in east Fort Myers. The 8-year-old shop specializes in ice cream and popsicles with tropical fruit flavors such as mamey and guanabana.
Manager Carlos Hernandez says traditional horchata remains the most popular agua fresca on the menu, but flavors change from time to time.
"Sometimes pina colada, mango, orange," he says in shy English. "Sometimes customers ask us to mix."
At home, the native of southwestern Mexico whips up his own variations with papaya, watermelon and guava.
Prices at La Michoacana are $1.50 for 16 ounces, $3 for 32 ounces. Hernandez dips a ladle into deep reservoirs of aguas mixed from powder — eye-searing yellow pineapple, pretty pink fruit punch and such.
Sugar-conscious Americans might cringe at the sweetness of some of these restaurant refreshments. By making them at home, with some of the accompanying recipes, they can control the sugar content, chef Peterson says.
"You can add sparkle and do club soda or sparkling water," she says. "I like to do cucumbers and lemongrass. If you want to kick it up a notch, you could add a citrus vodka."
To the right are some local places to sample aguas frescas.
