Aguas Locas (Mexican Fruit Party Punch)

History & Origin

Aguas locas are one of the most recent and popular beverage phenomena in Mexican festive culture. Unlike cocktails with a fixed recipe, aguas locas are a free and creative category born in fondas, markets and street stalls of contemporary urban Mexico. The name "crazy waters" refers to the apparent madness of mixing so many opposing flavours in one drink: the sweetness of tropical fruits, the sourness of tamarind and hibiscus, the heat of chilli powder and chamoy, and the bitterness of lager. Yet when these elements combine in the right proportion, the result is a drink that surprises and delights with every sip. Chamoy, the essential ingredient in aguas locas, is an ancestral Mexican preparation of Asian origin made with dried fruit, chillies and salt. It arrived in Mexico through trade with China and Japan in the 17th century and was transformed into a condiment unique in the world, used to coat fresh fruit, paletas, sweets and, in recent decades, alcoholic drinks. Today aguas locas are the centrepiece of any informal Mexican gathering: quinceañera parties, friends' reunions, neighbourhood celebrations.