Agua De Jamaica Drink {Hibiscus Punch} - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

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An easy 3-ingredient Mexican recipe you will make again and again. Homemade agua de jamaica is essentially a sweet iced tea made with dried hibiscus flowers and fresh lime juice. One of my favorite things to drink on a hot summer day.

TABLE OF CONTENTS show Tell Me About This Agua de Jamaica Recipe Ingredients To Make This Jamaica Drink How To Make Agua de Jamaica (Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos) step one step two step three step four step five Storage and Such Other Aguas Frescas Top 5 Most Popular Drink Recipes: Jamaica Water Is The Key To Summertime Fun Agua de Jamaica {Hibiscus Punch} Ingredients Instructions Notes Recommended Products Did you make this recipe? You Might Also Like

{First posted December 27, 2013. Last updated with clearer instructions, new photos, and a video on December 23, 2024}

Two glasses of Agua de Jamaica sitting on yellow napkins on a pink tray on a marble table.

The drink you are looking at is Agua de Jamaica (pronounced ha-mike-a). This refreshing drink is similar in color and flavor to cranberry juice but more earthy and complex.

This popular agua fresca has a vibrant red color thanks to flor de jamaica or dried hibiscus flowers. Jamaica, hibiscus (or sorrel if you are in the Caribbean) has an acidic and tart flavor. It is the dried, burgundy-hued petals of the roselle plant or Hibiscus sabdariffa.

It has many health benefits, loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants and has been shown to help lower blood pressure.

Jamaica agua fresca (literally translated into jamaica water) is enjoyed all over Mexico and anywhere Mexican food is served. The flowers are steeped in hot fresh water, just like making hibiscus tea, and then strained out. Sugar is added and then the mixture is chilled. It’s that easy!

Tell Me About This Agua de Jamaica Recipe

Two glasses of Agua de Jamaica in a pink tray with two yellow napkins on the bottom.

Flavor: Tart, a little fruity, and a little sweet. This delicious drink tastes especially refreshing served over plenty of ice. Absolutely perfect for a hot afternoon.
Time: You don’t have to wait for the jamaica to steep for a long time. Takes about 10 minutes total time.
Ease: Unlike many agua de jamaica recipes which has you prepare a jamaica concentrate or syrup first then add water later. This recipe is a simple three step process which means the prep time is minimal.

Ingredients To Make This Jamaica Drink

All the ingredients to make Agua de Jamaica including sugar, limes, and flor de jamaica

Don’t you just love a three-ingredient recipe? Of course you do!

Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus flowers) You can find the whole dried flowers at your local Latin grocery store. They are sold in bulk bags or bins for next to nothing. You can also buy them online of course, where they are remarkably more expensive. You don’t need to buy a whole ton, a little goes a long way.
White sugar. If you would prefer to substitute agave syrup or honey start with 1/2 cup of either and add more to taste.
Limes for a bright lime juice finish.
Optional: Cinnamon Stick. Add a stick of canela or Ceylon cinnamon if you’d like. Or try other spices like a 3-4 pieces of allspice.

How To Make Agua de Jamaica (Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos)

step one

Clean the flowers. Have I mentioned how easy this recipe is? It is ridiculously easy. We are basically making tea. Before we get started however we want to clean the hibiscus flowers. The best way is to place the flor de jamaica in a strainer and rinse under cold water to remove any dirt.

step two

Boil. Add 12 cups water to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from the heat.

Water pouring into a big pot from a faucet.

step three

Steeping process. Add jamaica flowers and one cup sugar to the hot water. Stir until sugar is dissolved then let steep for 10 minutes.

*CHEF’S TIP: Start with less sugar (like 1/2 cup) if you would like it less sweet then add more to taste.

A hand pouring sugar into a large pot with hibiscus flowers in it.

step four

Strain. Pour hibiscus water through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof container. Stir in lime juice. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Let cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator until cold.

Agua de Jamaica being poured through a strainer.

step five

Serve. Pour the hibiscus drink into a large pitcher and keep the agua fresca in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. My favorite way to serve it is with plenty of crushed ice and a lime wedge garnish.

*CHEF’S TIP: For a delicious beverage of the adult variety, add a shot of tequila to each glass as you serve it. 1 drink, 2 ways!

A lime being squeezed into Agua de Jamaica.

Storage and Such

Two blue-rimmed glasses of Agua de Jamaica with lime wedges and ice on yellow napkins on a pink tray on a marble table.

This Jamaica drink will keep in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days (not like it will last that long).

This is a party-sized recipe. Obviously cut the recipe in half–or double it (!)–depending on how many you’ll be serving.

Other Aguas Frescas

If this is your first time trying agua de jamaica you should check out more aguas frescas recipes. They are refreshing non-alcoholic drinks popular in Mexico. Agua fresca can be made with everything from fruit juices to grains like rice or barley.

Some of our most popular aguas frescas are agua de tamarindo, made with fresh tamarind pods, authentic creamy horchata, agua de limón, made with whole blended limes, and rhubarb agua fresca.

Top 5 Most Popular Drink Recipes:

Vegan Atole {Warm Cinnamon and Corn Drink}
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Simple and Quick Champurrado
Jugo Verde {Mexican Green Juice}
Ponche Navideño {Mexican Mulled Fruit Punch}

Jamaica Water Is The Key To Summertime Fun

If you are going to have a signature drink this summer this Jamaica drink should definitely be it. Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

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Ingredients

3 quarts (12 cups) water
1 1/2 cups dried jamaica flowers, rinsed in cold water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Boil. Bring water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Steep. Remove from heat and add jamaica flowers and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved then let steep for 10 minutes.
Strain. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-proof container. Stir in lime juice and chill.
Serve. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve over ice.

Notes

To add some spice notes: Consider adding a cinnamon stick or a few allspice berries to the boiling water along with the hibiscus flowers and sugar.
For a tart flavor: Adjust the amount of sugar and lime juice to suit your taste preferences.
If you prefer a stronger hibiscus flavor: Increase the steeping time by an additional 5-10 minutes.
Fun garnish idea: Feel free to garnish each glass with a slice of lime for an extra pop of citrus flavor.
To make hot tea: Experiment with serving the agua de jamaica warm during colder months for a comforting, aromatic beverage.
More variations: you can also infuse the agua de jamaica with other complementary flavors such as ginger, orange peel, or mint for a unique twist.

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