Made with only 3 ingredients, Agua de Jamaica is a sweet and tart refreshing drink made from hibiscus flowers that’s very popular in Mexico. It’s one of the most popular kinds of agua frescas and is ready in only 15 minutes!
Sweet, tart and refreshing, Agua de Jamaica is one of the most popular types of agua frescas in Mexico. Made from dried hibiscus flowers, water and sugar, it can be sweetened to your personal liking and is a flavorful alternative to soda
What is Agua de Jamaica?
Agua de Jamaica (pronounced ha-MY-cah) is a hibiscus iced tea drink made from dried hibiscus flowers (or “Flor de Jamaica” in Spanish), water and sugar. The hibiscus tea is very tart and almost has a cranberry-like flavor, which is why it’s typically sweetened with sugar.
Sometimes it’s made with additional spices like cinnamon and ginger, but today we’re making the tried and true typical Mexican version you’ll find in restaurants and markets.
Where to find dried hibiscus flowers
Hibiscus flowers are fairly common in most Mexican grocery stores and can be found near the spices or dried chiles.
If you can’t find any near you, you can order them online on Amazon.
How to make Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)
Add 4 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of dried hibiscus flowers to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and let sit for another 5 minutes.
Carefully strain the mixture into a glass container and discard the hydrated hibiscus flowers.
At this point, you can store the hibiscus tea concentrate in the fridge until you’re ready to use it (see recipe card below for more info).
To make this tea into a full pitcher of a deliciously tart and sweet jamaica drink, pour the concentrate into a pitcher and add 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir to combine, taste and adjust the sweetness and/or potency by adding more sugar or water if desired.
Traditionally, Agua de Jamaica is very sweet and fairly strong, but I know everyone has different preferences which is why I recommend starting with 1/4 cup sugar, 4 cups of water and then adding in more if you want it a little sweeter and/or more diluted.
And don’t forget that you’re going to serve the tea with ice, which may dilute it even more as the ice melts.
More refreshing drinks
- Horchata
- Agua de Pepino(Cucumber Agua Fresca)
- Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Agua Fresca)
- Frozen Margarita
- Skinny Margarita
I hope you love this recipe – be sure to give it a review below! To get more easy Mexican recipes delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my weekly email newsletter. You can also follow Isabel Eats on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!
INGREDIENTS
- 8-10 cups water, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups dried hibiscus flowers
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small pot, add 4 cups of water and the dried hibiscus flowers. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, uncover and let it cool down for 5 more minutes.
- Pour the tea through a strainer or colander into a large pitcher that holds at least 8-10 cups. Discard the used used hibiscus flowers.
- Add the granulated sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the remaining 4 cups water and stir to combine.
- At this point, taste the tea and add more sugar and/or dilute it with more water until it's to your liking. Some people like it super sweet, some like it super strong, it's up to you!
- Serve in a glass filled with ice and enjoy!
Chris Diaz says
@isabeleats
I make Hibiscus tea every day. Since I am a diabetic, I do not add sugar, but I sub 1-2 cups of diet tonic water for 1 or 2 cups of water in the pitcher plus add a cinnamon stick and a half lemon or lime. Very refreshing! My friends always requests my Hibiscus tea when over for dinner.