Top 10 Authentic Mexican Drinks You Have To Try

Home to some of the best cuisine in the world, Mexico’s drinks scene is no different. Whether it’s an aged tequila you’re in search of, or a refreshing mocktail made with tropical juices is more your thing, we’ve compiled the 10 top Mexican drinks you have to try when you visit the country famed for its flavors!

Non-alcoholic

1.Atole

The traditional Mexican breakfast drink of choice, start your day off right with this mix of water, cinnamon, vanilla, masa (corn hominy), and piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar). You may not find this drink served in more commercial restaurants, but you’re guaranteed to find it at any local vendors out on the street!

2.Aguas Frescas

Literally translated as “fresh waters”, aguas frescas are made from fresh fruit juice, water, and sometimes a little bit of cane sugar. Perfect for cooling off under the hot Mexican sun, be sure to try some of the favourites — jamaica (hibiscus tea), cantaloupe (melon), watermelon (sandia), and pineapple (pina). Image Source: Bex Walton via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 license

3.Horchata

Perhaps the most famous among the aguas frescas range of Mexican beverage, horchata is rice water flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla. This is a tasty signature Mexican classic that you have to try on your next trip down south! Image Source: Enrique Dans via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 license

4.Chamoyada

An intriguing blend of spicy and sweet, the chamoyada consists of shaved ice, mixed fruit, chilli, and the key ingredient, chamoy. Used heavily in Mexican cuisine, chamoy is made from pickled fruit and comes in a variety of ways from paste, to liquid, to candy (yes!), and much more. If you’re jetting off to Mexico this year, you can almost guarantee an encounter with chamoy at some point!

5.Tejate

This authentic Oaxacan beverage is made from a paste of toasted maize, fermented cacao beans, mamey pits, and flor de cacao. When the paste is then combined with water, the flor de cacao rise to the surface to create a foamy top when served.

Alcoholic

6.Margarita

Everybody’s favourite cocktail, the classic margarita, is a Mexican staple. The traditional recipe is either served on the rocks or blended and made from lime juice, tequila, and triple sec, served in a sugar rimmed glass to soften the bitterness. There are a host of different flavours you can try; from mango to passionfruit to cranberry, just ask your bartender what specialities they have on the menu!

7.Michelada

Why not combine two great alcoholic beverages into one – beer and cocktails! That’s exactly what you’re getting with a michelada. With a base cocktail made from lime juice, clamato or tomato juice, and hot sauce all served in a salt rim glass, your michelada will be topped with an upside down beer for the final touch. For those worrying about the hot sauce, you can decide how spicy you want your drink, or forget it all together!

8.Mezcal

While tequila may be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Mexican liquor, you’re missing out if you haven’t tried mezcal! Made from any type of agave, this distilled beverage will be behind any bar in Mexico, guaranteed. You’ll even find hundreds of different flavors to try in some specialized distilleries; there’s one mezcal for everyone, you may just have to try a few!

9.Paloma

For anyone who loves tequila but prefers the liquor in any other form other than the deadly shot, paloma is the perfect choice to still get that tequila kick in a softer blow. Made from a grapefruit-flavored soft drink (Fresca or Squirt), tequila blanco, ice, and served with a slice of lime, it’s a refreshing Mexican classic you don’t want to miss.

10.Mexican wine

Mexico’s wine industry has been booming in recent years; there will be no shortage of excellent reds and whites for you to sample on your next vacation! Mexico has three wine producing regions – the Baja California (where over 90% of the country’s product is made), the La Laguna area in Coahuila and Durango, and the Center region which encompasses Zacatecas, Aguascalientes and Queretaro.   Excited to sample of some these delicious drinks? Take a look at Elegant Mexico’s properties in Los Cabos and Punta Mita where you’ll be able to sample numbers 1-10 from the comfort of your private villa, made freshly by your private butler and chef!