Summer is coming. Time to break out a refreshing agua fresca, the fruity sip you can make at home.
At a window table looking out onto Oakland’s bustling International Boulevard, two patrons sit drinking bright green cocktails. The drink? El Huarache Azteca’s top seller — the cactus and pineapple agua fresca.
Owners Eva Saavedra and Juan Chavez sold food from their home before they ever dreamed of opening a restaurant, but friends kept suggesting they find a brick-andmortar location. They finally did in 2001, just in time for the annual Cinco de Mayo parade — and they’ve been there ever since.
El Huarache Azteca has all the markings of a good taqueria. Music booms from a nearby storefront, and families fill the sidewalks, clamoring to get groceries before heading home for dinner. Down the street, locals tend to the community flower garden. And inside, a large mural of Aztec warriors fighting off conquistadors is partially covered by heart-shaped Mother’s Day balloons. A single plastic rose is the centerpiece of each table.
The backstory: Agua fresca is a refreshing, nonalcoholic drink made by blending seasonal fruit with a little sugar and water. It is popular here as well as in Mexico and Central America. The first time the taqueria made this particular combination of cactus and pineapple was years ago as a “drink of the week.” It was so popular, the crowd favorite has remained on the menu ever since.
The majority of the drink’s sweetness comes from very ripe, very fresh pineapple. Nopales — cactus paddles — give the drink its bright green color as well as providing a slight grassy bitterness.
Eva and Juan’s niece, Miriam, makes the taqueria’s aguas frescas at the beginning of her waitressing shift every morning. Her father works at the restaurant as well, chatting with customers while he brings food to their tables.
The trick: Miriam swears fresh is the only way to make aguas frescas. The pineapple can’t be frozen, and ripeness is key. Tart pineapple will not add enough sweetness to balance out the sour and slightly bitter flavor of the nopales. When you make this at home, try to find thick, juicy nopales, which are more flavorful and easier to work with. Blend, add water, then pour the drink into ice-filled glasses and serve.