Blackberry Agua Fresca
There is nothing quite like a tall glass of ice cold agua fresca to quench your thirst.
Have you ever tasted agua frescas? You may have heard of horchata (the rice milk drink), or jamaica (hibiscus), tamarindo (tamarind) or ones made from fruits like watermelon, mango, papaya, cucumber, prickly pear fruit…Basically, any fruit can be turned into agua fresca.
The thing I love most about agua frescas is that they are completely natural and way healthier than soft drinks. Plus you can control how much sugar, if any, needs to be added to the drink. This is a big thing for me because I really have to be mindful of my sugar intake.
I love to experiment with less traditional flavours and depending what’s in season or in my fridge. For this agua de zarzamora or blackberry agua fresca, I had a bag of frozen blackberries that I bought specially for creating this new flavour. Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. It really hit the spot on this super hot Caribbean day!
You’ll notice that I haven’t used much sweetener, I don’t like it when my agua fresca tastes too sweet or when I can’t strongly taste the fruit used. But everyone’s taste is different so add as much sweetener as desired. Additionally, you can water down the drink more if you’d like.
Blackberry Mint Agua Fresca | Agua de zarzamora con hierbabuena
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen blackberries
- fresh mint leaves as desired (I used a small handful of leaves)
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons of coconut sugar or to taste*
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice about a medium one, adjust to taste
- 4 cups of filtered water or more if desired
Instructions
- If using fresh blackberries throughly rinse and set aside to drain. Also before you begin do taste the the blackberries to get an idea of how sweet or tart they are, so you'll know how much (if any) sweetener needs to be added.
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until completely broken down. If you'd like you may add more water to water down the agua. Taste and if needed add more sweetener if desired. Strain into a large pitcher and either chill in the fridge or serve over ice cubes.
Notes
If blackberries aren’t your favourite you may want to check out some of the other agua fresca and refreshing drink recipes from the archives
Agua De Pepino ~ Cucumber Cooler
Agua De Sandia – Mexican Watermelon Water
Refreshing Lime-Pitahaya Summer Drink
Prickly Pear And Coconut Water Smoothie
White Cucumber Agua Fresca
Agua De Jamaica | Ice Cold Hibiscus Tea
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
This is a keeper! I love, love, love blackberries. Have never thought of using them in a drink other than smoothies. Once I find some blackberries and mint, I’m making this! Thanks!
Thank you, MJ! I think you’ll really enjoy this drink.