Agua de Granada

The ruby Mexican fresh-water of pressed pomegranate, lightly sweetened and sharpened with lime

Origin: Mexico

From the journey of Pomegranate.

Agua de granada is one of the aguas frescas, the 'fresh waters' of the Mexican table, the great family of light, fruit-based drinks pressed and diluted and lightly sweetened, sold from glass barrels (vitroleros) on every Mexican street and made in every Mexican home: agua de jamaica from hibiscus, agua de tamarindo from tamarind, agua de horchata from rice, and, in the late summer and autumn when the granadas ripen, agua de granada from the pomegranate. The fruit, carried to New Spain by the Spanish four centuries ago, is pressed for its ruby juice, which is strained, diluted with cold water, sweetened just enough to round its tartness, and sharpened with a squeeze of lime. The same scarlet fruit that crowns the national dish, chiles en nogada, here becomes the most refreshing of drinks, its brilliant red glowing in the vitrolero. It belongs to the season of Mexican independence in September, when the pomegranates and the patriotic chiles en nogada appear together, and it carries the fruit's deep colour and clean sweet-sour taste in the lightest and most everyday of forms. Served over ice, garnished with a few whole seeds bobbing in the glass, it is autumn refreshment, Mexican-style.

Ingredients

5 large ripe pomegranates (to yield about 500 ml juice)
1 litre cold water
4 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste (or light agave syrup)
2 tbsp lime juice
ice, and a few whole pomegranate seeds, to serve

Method

Seed the pomegranates, reserving a small handful of seeds for garnish. Press the rest for their juice: pulse the seeds briefly in a blender (just enough to burst them, not crush the pips), then strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids. You should have about 500 ml of juice.
Pour the strained juice into a large jug. Add the cold water.
Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved, then add the lime juice. Taste and adjust: an agua fresca should be light and refreshing, sweet but still tart. Add more water if too strong, more sugar if too sharp.
Chill well. Serve over ice in tall glasses, with a few whole pomegranate seeds floated in each.

Notes

Agua de granada is best drunk the day it is made, while the colour and flavour are fresh and bright. For a quicker version, good bottled unsweetened pomegranate juice can replace the freshly pressed juice; reduce the added water accordingly. A few sprigs of mint or a splash of sparkling water make a more festive drink, and the same base, with a measure of tequila or mezcal, becomes a simple pomegranate cocktail.

The Gastrographer

Name: Agua de Granada
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 5 large ripe pomegranates (to yield about 500 ml juice); 1 litre cold water; 4 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste (or light agave syrup); 2 tbsp lime juice; ice, and a few whole pomegranate seeds, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control