The world’s great drinks carry you to another world. A concoction of warm glowing nostalgia. A tribute to a certain time and place. The Singapore Sling, Havana’s Mojito, Bia Hoi of Hanoi and Pimm’s on a lazy sunny afternoon in London – to name but a few. Here is your guide to Agua de Valencia.
And so it is for Agua de Valencia, that sweet refreshing bright orange elixir, which has become an iconic accompaniment to a trip to the Mediterranean city. It evokes winding medieval streets, the buzzy chatter of plazas, the relieving night-time breeze, and a gentle tipsiness.
What is Agua de Valencia?
The drink is made up of fresh Valencian orange juice liberally topped with vodka, gin and cava. It’s deceptively lethal with the sweet orange and fizzy wine softening the harder liquor. Generously served by the jug, it’s a cocktail you share among old and new friends, and can be dangerously irresistible as you quench your thirst after the day’s heat.
The cocktail’s origin story
Reputedly invented in 1959 by Constante Gil, a Valencian artist, the story goes that a group of Basque travellers would frequent Cerveceria Madrid (now Café Madrid), a hub for artists and writers, and always order ‘agua de bilbao,’ referring to the best cava in the house (the origin of agua de bilbao is for another day..) As the basques grew tired of the same drink, Gil, the manager, improvised a new cocktail as an alternative and ‘aqua de valencia’ was born.
The drink stayed a secret amid the small clientele until it rose in popularity across the city in the 70s. Contante Gil’s, who died in 2009, is most famous for his series of paintings called Tertulia de Cafe in which he depicts the influential society gatherings in his Cerveceria during the transition years, where his cocktail would have been copiously imbibed.
Jose Solano’s, a precursor of Gil, paints a typical Tertulia scene. It can be found in the Reina Sofia:
The Valencian Orange
It’s no surprise that the most iconic ingredient to Agua de Valencia is orange juice.
The Valencian region is the biggest producer of oranges in Spain, which is itself Europe’s largest producer. Oranges have traditionally formed an important part of the Valencian economy and have become a symbol of the city – one example is the azulejos with their orange motif that adorn the modernist train station, Estacio Nord. The local fruit is famed for its sweet taste, making it ideal for juice, and for counteracting alcohol in a cocktail.
Oranges were first introduced to Spain by the Moors, principally as a means to decorate their palaces and mosques, filling their tranquil gardens with the aroma of the blossom. Indeed the spanish word for orange, naranja, comes from the arabic naranj, which in turn came from arab traders that ‘discovered’ the tree in south-east asia.
As well as the orange groves that surround the city, the streets of Valencia are filled with orange trees. Unfortunately the city version is merely decorative than as the fruit is too bitter to be consumed. The rumour is that the fruits are sent to the UK for marmalade production.
Places to try Agua de Valencia
You can order Agua de Valencia in the majority of bars in the city. However, the quintessential places to try it are all located in the older parts of the city, Ciutat Vella and El Carmen:
- Café de Las Horas;
- Café Lisboa;
- Café Sant Jaume; and
- Café Negrito (my favourite).
How to make Agua de Valencia
It’s really very simple. Ingredients:
- 400ml of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 400ml of cava
- 200ml of vodka
- 200ml of gin
- Sugar (to taste)
Mix all the ingredients with ice, ensuring the extra sugar has dissolved. Strain and serve very cold in a jug with 4 glasses.