Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Mexican

Agua de jamaica

Vegetarian

A ruby-red Mexican agua fresca made by steeping dried hibiscus flowers, then sweetening and chilling — tart like cranberry and wonderfully refreshing.

Agua de jamaica is a Mexican cold drink from Mexico, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with dried hibiscus flowers and sugar. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
Chilled agua de jamaica served in a mason jar with mint leaves and lime slice, perfect for summer refreshment.
Photo: Vintage Lenses / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Calories
60

Ingredients

8 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring 500 ml water to the boil, add the hibiscus (opens in a new tab) and simmer 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and steep for 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Strain into a jug, pressing on the flowers. Stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved, then the remaining cold water and the lime juice (opens in a new tab).

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Chill well and serve over ice.

    • 40 min

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Commonly attributedHibiscus is native to Africa and similar drinks are made across West Africa and the Caribbean; agua de jamaica is the Mexican form.Also popular in United States, GuatemalaMore food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
sour, fruity, refreshing, sweet
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
With the listed swaps: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Dried hibiscus flowers · Sugar
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

60 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 269 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 0%
  • Carbohydrate 100%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy60 kcal22 kcal
Protein0 g0 g
Carbohydrate15.4 g5.7 g
Net carbohydrate15.4 g5.7 g
Sugars15 g5.6 g
Added sugars15 g5.6 g
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat0 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium5 mg2 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
8 mg
Calcium
33 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lime juice, ice.
  • Dried hibiscus flowers: Raw roselle (FDC 168170) used as a stand-in; dried calyces are more concentrated, but in drinks they are steeped and strained so little is consumed.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste before adding all the water; the concentrate strength varies with the flowers.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Variations

  • Spiced jamaica: Simmer a cinnamon stick and a few slices of ginger with the flowers.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Gravy, sauce & base

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like