Although everyone enjoys a good margarita, a wide variety of non-alcoholic Mexican drinks are so far outside the spectrum of tequila-based citrus drinks.
This selection of non-alcoholic beverages has something for everyone if you want to cut back on booze.
These well-known Mexican drinks, which range from warm, wintery beverages to cooling, summery fruit drinks, are all created without alcoholic components so that you can quench your thirst without the worries of a hangover the next day.
Continue reading for several non-alcoholic Mexican drinks you must try.
Agua Fresca
Agua fresca, which translates to “fresh water” in Spanish, is the ideal name for the refreshing, all-natural Mexican beverage made by mixing water with various fruit combinations.
These refreshing beverages go well with any meal, can be made with any fruit you have on hand, and are perfect for hot weather.
Citrus aguas frescas can be created by pressing the juice from the fruits, but most of these drinks blend citrus with lime juice, sugar, and water.
Pineapples, oranges, apples, mangoes, watermelon, and berries are common agua fresca ingredients.
Hibiscus flowers are used in Agua Jamaica, which is brewed like tea before being added to the water, lime, and sugar base.
Another well-liked agua fresca flavor is tamarind. Working with whole tamarind pods is very labor-intensive, but fortunately, canned tamarind pulp is not hard to come by.
Enjoy a traditional Mexican favorite by experimenting with various fruit combinations to find your favorite one.
Watch this video from Simply Mamá Cooks on YouTube, showing how to make three different flavors of aguas frescas using pineapple, lemon, and watermelon.
This drink is a must-try if you want to experience real Mexican culture.
With varying components, this recipe is imitated by many Latin American nations.
However, it is customary in Mexico to prepare this cooling beverage using rice, water, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.
Even if you don’t think you’ll enjoy it, you absolutely must try this recipe. Many individuals don’t think it’s the drink for them, but after giving it a try, they become addicted. See the recipe for this delightful Mexican non-alcoholic drink below.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Rice and water should be added to a blender, and the mixture should be blended for about a minute until the rice just starts to break up.
- For at least three hours, let the rice and water sit at room temperature.
- Discard the rice after straining the rice water into a pitcher.
- Mix the rice water with the milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Just before serving over ice, chill and stir.
Agua de Avena (Oatmeal Drink)
Agua de avena is a must-try for horchata lovers.
It also goes by the name oatmeal horchata and employs the same soaking, mixing, filtering, and flavoring techniques to create a light, energizing beverage that can be served for breakfast, as a snack, or to relax the tongue after consuming a hot meal.
Due to the oats in agua de avena, it boosts nutrients in addition to satisfying thirst.
Oats are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
To create agua de avena at home, soak a cup of oatmeal in water with a cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder to taste for at least 30 minutes.
Pour the soaked ingredients into a blender and blend until thick. For an extra-smooth base, strain the liquid and throw away any solids that are still present.
Add vanilla extract and brown sugar to taste, then blend until foamy.
Personal preference is important. The base of agua de avena is customarily thinned with a pitcher’s worth of water. Use milk or plant-based substitutes if you want an even creamier flavor; oat, coconut, soy, or almond milk are all great options.
To alter the flavor or reduce the number of calories, you can also add different sweeteners, such as agave, honey, white sugar, or the sugar substitute of your choice.
Even though it requires some time and work, once you taste it, it’s worth it.
Pozol
This pre-Columbian Mexican beverage is made from fermented maize bread.
Pozol is produced mostly from corn that has been boiled in lime (nixtamalization).
After that, it is cleaned, crushed, and combined with chocolate to create a dough.
After being fermented, the dough is combined with water.
Sugar and other components are optional additions to the mixture. Pozol is typically served in little bowls fashioned of calabash tree (jícara) rind.
The southeast region of Mexico, notably the state of Tabasco, is where it is most commonly associated with and consumed.
Tejate
Tejate is a prehistoric Mexican beverage produced from fermented cacao beans, maize, fermented cacao flowers, and mamey nuts.
The corn is cooked in ash-infused water to remove the husk, giving the beverage a faint smokey flavor.
The ingredients are pounded and mixed with cold water in big clay pots.
The beverage is chilled in tiny clay bowls, and some sugar syrup is occasionally added for flavor. Tejate is said to be an excellent hangover remedy, and thanks to its high nutritional value, it can also help with appetite suppression.
Between the end of March and the beginning of April, the Tejate Fair, one of many national celebrations aimed at promoting distinctive non-alcoholic Mexican drinks, takes place in the municipal capital of San Andrés Huayapam.
The “tejateras” of the town prepare and serve Tejate, the “drink of the gods,” alongside tamales, empanadas, memelas, and other local foods while dressed in their vibrant traditional attire of white blouses and red skirts.
Mexican Atole
The majority of Mexican beverages date back to pre-Columbian periods, including atole or atol.
Atole is a maize stew with water that has been sweetened with piloncillo (an unprocessed sugar cane), sugar, or honey in its most basic form.
Atole is typically enjoyed after dinner or as a breakfast beverage. It can be produced using masa harina, a type of flour used in traditional Mexican cookery, cornmeal, cornstarch, or any combination of these.
Spices, natural flavorings, and other additives, including cocoa, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, orange leaves, and aniseed are frequently used to enhance the flavor, aroma, and potency of atole.
The type of starch used will have a significant impact on the consistency and texture; ideally, it should be thick, creamy, and lump-free.
Water was always the basic liquid in the original, pre-Spanish Conquest recipe; today, milk, water, or a combination of the two might be used.
Atole is so widely used in Mexican cuisine that several commercial brands come in flavors, including strawberry, chocolate, pineapple, guava, mango, plum, coconut, and others.
Mexican-Style Hot Chocolate
Everyone enjoys hot chocolate, but in Mexico, it’s cooked in a special way.
For its chocolate flavor, Mexican hot chocolate does not utilize cocoa powder.
Instead, table chocolate disks are melted into the milk and frothed to create a distinctive foamy topping.
Table chocolate is widely available anywhere foreign foods are marketed.
Although it may be tempting, avoid doing so because authentic Mexican hot chocolate calls for real chocolate.
Taste the drink before adding more sugar because table chocolate already contains sugar and cinnamon.
Mexican chocolate is popular for leaving a chocolate slurry on the bottom of the cup, but it adds to its allure.
Mexican hot chocolate is renowned for having a rich flavor that sometimes includes vanilla and other ingredients like cinnamon.
It can become spicy with a dash of cayenne or chili powder.
Hot chocolate is a common breakfast, snack, light meal, and holiday treat in Mexico.
It is typically served with bread for dipping. Whether you prefer sweet or spicy chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate is a nice improvement over the powdered variety.
Café de La Olla (Mexican Coffee)
You must try café de olla if you love coffee! In Mexico, making coffee the traditional way is known as “café de olla.” And it tastes great!
The coffee is sipped black and has a sweet, cinnamon flavor. It is typically served in an earthen clay pot, which gives the coffee unique characteristics.
Café de la olla has gained popularity in regions with sizable Mexican populations in the United States.
Ground coffee is steeped in a blend of cinnamon-infused water and piloncillo to make this classic Mexican coffee.
It’s said that the original recipes included roasted cocoa beans as well. Other varieties include anise, clove, or orange zest.
Tepache
Tepache, a beverage from pre-colonial Mexico, is primarily produced from fermented pineapples.
Typically, brown or cane sugar (piloncillo), pineapple chunks (with the rind), and spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, or ginger make up the drink’s base.
The mixture is then covered with water and allowed to ferment for a few days before the beverage is ready to be served. Tepache is frequently referred to as “funky” and is low in alcohol, mildly effervescent, softly acidic, and flavorful. If you leave it for a longer period of time, it can become more alcoholic or turn into vinegar.
Tepache is frequently served at Mexican taquerias and frequently offered in plastic bags or containers. You might add pineapple pieces to make it even better when serving it.
Licuado
Licuado is popular in Mexico and all of Latin America. They are a common quick drink made at home or purchased from street sellers. They are also known as “batidos” and are produced by combining fruit, milk, sugar, and cinnamon.
Particularly in warmer weather, they are cooling and light. Although licuados resemble milkshakes in certain aspects, they are thinner and don’t contain ice cream.
Bananas, whole milk, a lot of brown sugar, and cinnamon are the traditional ingredients used to make licuados. Using a variety of fruits and vegetables became customary as they gained popularity.
A handful of spinach, kale, celery, or cucumbers will suffice if you need to increase your consumption of vegetables. You can also try mangoes, berries, pineapple, peaches, papaya, and watermelon. Use frozen fruit, swap Greek yogurt for the milk, or mix ice into the beverage for a richer licuado.
Cow’s milk is not your thing? You can use almond, oat, coconut, soy, or milk substitutes, depending on your preferences. Licuados can be more filling and nutritious by including protein powder, oats, or nut butter.
To find your ideal licuado, experiment with different fruits and add-ins if you’re seeking a delightful, healthy breakfast or snack.
Tascalate
Tascalate is a pre-Hispanic beverage that was first introduced in 1566. Diego de Landa Calderon, a Franciscan missionary who subsequently became the bishop of Yucatan, listed it as a popular southern Mexican dish made of roasted maize spiced with chocolate and chili. It is made by grinding toasted and diced tortillas with cocoa, achiote, ground or powdered cinnamon, and grated piloncillo into a fine powder.
This powder is combined in a pitcher with water or milk and cooled with ice cubes. It is a hydrating and incredibly nourishing beverage.
Tascalate powder in pink is offered for sale in packets. In Chiapas, it is frequently found prepared on the streets and is easily accessible in the markets.
Champurrado
Champurrado is atole in chocolate form. Don’t mistake it for Mexican hot chocolate, though; it is more like thick, creamy hot chocolate that has been enhanced with cinnamon.
Like atole, Champurrado is produced by heating milk and sugar, adding a slurry of masa, and cooking until it thickens. Finally, cinnamon and vanilla are added for flavor. Most champurrado recipes call for Mexican chocolate or table chocolate, however, some also call for cocoa powder.
Even though both champurrado and Mexican hot chocolate are consumed as a light breakfast or snack, champurrado is more satisfying. Enjoy this rich chocolate delight with some orange zest and cloves for an added touch of Mexico.
Here’s a YouTube video from Cooking Con Claudia to guide you through the easiest way to make champurrado.
Arroz con Leche
There are numerous ways to prepare rice with milk or arroz con leche. However, most people drink sweet rice milk in the mornings. It is occasionally available as a dessert. In this instance, cinnamon and raisins are added to sweeten the rice pudding-like consistency.
Follow this recipe to create the perfect rice pudding for a dessert drink.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cups milk
- ¼-½ cup sugar sweeten to taste
Instructions
- Rice, water, and cinnamon sticks should be placed in a saucepan and heated slowly.
- For 15 to 20 minutes, with the lid on, simmer the rice until it is tender and the water is absorbed.
- Stirring to blend, add the milk and sugar. Cover the pan and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- If you want a thicker, rice pudding-like arroz con leche, cook it longer. If more sugar or your preferred sweetener is needed, do so.
Ponche Navideño
Mexican ponche, also known as ponche Navideo, is a festive favorite during the Christmas season in Mexico, but this hot spiced fruit punch is delectable all year round. Sangria-like, but without the booze (unless you choose to add rum), the aroma of cinnamon and citrus that fills the home when ponche is simmered on the stove is one of its best features.
Although some people also use anise and chamomile, traditional ponche is spiced with cinnamon, tamarind, hibiscus flowers, and cloves. While the fruit is being prepared, the spices can be boiled in water and piloncillo (or apple cider).
In Mexico, guavas and tejocotes, sweet and sour fruit of the Mexican hawthorn, are always included in a blend of fresh and dried fruit. Oranges, pears, and apples are common additions, with raisins and prunes being the preferred dried fruit.
Don’t be thrown off by harder-to-find items because you can get guava and tejocotes bottled in syrup in various Latin American grocery stores. Some chefs also enjoy limes and pineapple; you can adapt ponche to any ingredients you have on hand.
You’ll need a gallon of water or cider in a large stockpot to create ponche at home. While you wash and cut the desired fruits, bring it to a low boil; then, let it simmer for at least an hour before serving. Every mug should have some fruit in it, and remember to stir your drinks with cinnamon sticks for added flavor and aesthetic appeal.
Tejuino
The Indians of northern Mexico developed Tejuino, a type of “corn beer.” Due to its low level of fermentation, it is a refreshing beverage that is almost alcohol-free. The Nahua word “tejuin,” which means “beating heart,” is whence the name “tejuino” originates.
It is made using piloncillo and corn dough, and it is lightly fermented for 48 hours. Tejuino, a common non-alcoholic beverage from Mexico, has a spicy, sweet, sour, and refreshing flavor and is typically served with lime juice, chile, and lime sorbet.
When the mixture is allowed to ferment fully, it turns into the alcoholic beverage known as tesguino, which is used for social and ceremonial purposes by Mexican ethnic groups.
Non-Alcoholic Mexican Drinks FAQs
Although everyone enjoys a good margarita, a wide variety of non-alcoholic Mexican drinks are so far outside the spectrum of tequila-based citrus drinks. This selection of non-alcoholic beverages has something for everyone if you want to cut back on booze.
Some of the most popular non-alcoholic Mexican drinks are:
- Horchata
- Champurrado
- Licuado
- Agua Fresca
- Café de La Olla (Mexican Coffee)
Cebadina is a non-alcoholic Mexican drinks that is a staple in León, Guanajuato. Hibiscus flowers and other components are used to flavor and color the base of cebadina, which is made of barley. When serving, bicarbonate is frequently added to the glass to create an effervescent effect.
The ideal beverage to go with León residents’ favorite snack, guacamayas (rolls filled with pork rinds), is cebadina.
Agua fresca, which translates to “fresh water” in Spanish, is the ideal name for the refreshing, all-natural Mexican beverage made by mixing water with various fruit combinations. These refreshing beverages go well with any meal, can be made with any fruit you have on hand, and are perfect for hot weather. Citrus aguas frescas can be created by pressing the juice from the fruits, but most of these drinks blend citrus with lime juice, sugar, and water.
There are many reasons someone would want to refrain from drinking alcohol, whether it’s for their health or just to try something new. However, you no longer have to settle for soft drinks or flavored juices at social events.
There are many brands that sell non-alcoholic tequila alternatives. Some of them are Ritual CleanCo, and Lyre’s. You can use these non-alcoholic tequila substitutes to make delicious mocktails, like a Virgin Tequila Sunrise.
