Across metro Phoenix, you may discover conventional flavors at taquerias however the sky is the restrict on these Mexican drinks. Phoenix affords vegan variations and artistic twists to savor all over the place from farmer’s markets to rooftop patios.
Here’s the place to drink one of the best aguas frescas within the Valley.
Emilio’s Tacos & Hotdogs
13803 North nineteenth Avenue
602-810-1468
There are strawberry horchatas after which there’s Emilio’s strawberry horchata. This sinfully decadent sip begins with housemade horchata and ends with a fruity syrup, thick with chunks of actual fruit, that slowly oozes into the horchata, turning the entire thing jewel-toned pink and pink. Almost smoothie thick, every mouthful tastes concurrently creamy and tart with a velvety sweetness. A vibrant spot in North Phoenix with a contemporary inside and drive-thru, Emilio’s candy and savory menu additionally contains standout Sonoran hotdogs, asada fries, fried ice cream, and churros.
The Garfield Phoenix
924 East Roosevelt Street
The meals menu at The Garfield is small however mighty, very similar to the retro diner itself. Just 5 gadgets robust, the menu contains carne asada tacos made with premium flank steak, super-stuffed burritos which might be nearly too massive, and a combo plate with a facet of pinto beans that’ll flip non-bean lovers into believers.
Husband-and-wife homeowners Oswald “Ozzie” Fuentes and Shannon Moss put the identical care into their horchata, a recipe that comes from Fuentes’s mom. Made from scratch utilizing lengthy grain rice, evaporated and condensed milk, sugar, Mexican vanilla, and entire cinnamon sticks, the key is within the mixing course of.
“I have a method for combining everything so you end up with a very sweet, creamy, and smooth horchata,” Moss says. They additionally provide a horchata float with vanilla ice cream, a dreamy horchata chilly brew espresso, and a spiked horchata cocktail made with Kahlua.
Testal Mexican Kitchen
1325 Grand Avenue
602-384-9993
If you suppose you’ve tried each taste of agua fresca, you haven’t tried them at Testal. The Grand Avenue spot is thought for its Chihuahua-style burritos and housemade tortillas, however the aguas frescas actually stand out. As effectively because the acquainted taste of Jamaica, Testal serves two homespun standouts: Iskiate, a pure power drink made with contemporary lime juice, chia seeds, and agave nectar, a pucker-up pick-me-up that’s bitter and barely gelatinous, and, Pinole, an oat milk and roasted floor corn sweetly satisfying sip that tastes solely unique. Imagine roasted marshmallow-meets-corn on the cob with an earthy edge you’ll savor right down to the final swig.
Tortas Manantial
Multiple areas
The aguas frescas menu at Tortas Manantial is substantial. Available in sizes massive and bigger, the colourful array of drinks ranges from fruity (papaya, strawberry, watermelon, mango) to creamy (coconut, horchata) to novel (guanabana, mamey), all for underneath $6. If that is not sufficient choices, get inventive and make your individual combo (coconut and orange tastes like a Creamsicle). Always made to order with hand-sliced vegatables and fruits, as evidenced by the rows of entire pineapples and papayas lining the cabinets, every drink is mixed contemporary and strained earlier than your eyes for a brisker than contemporary sip. We simply want the West Valley mini-chain would broaden east.
Belly Kitchen & Bar
4971 North seventh Avenue
602-296-4452
Ordering horchata at Belly, the hipster Southeast Asian-inspired eatery and rooftop patio at Seventh Avenue and Camelback, could seem counterintuitive. Here, bartenders sling inventive cocktails made with Thai basil, pineapple shrub, and tamarind salt whereas servers run crispy spring rolls, steaming clay pots, and funky fried rice to a clamoring crowd. But this isn’t your grandma’s horchata. These masters of taste make rice milk by mixing rice, water, and salt. They then simmer lemongrass and lime leaf till it turns right into a tangy tea, earlier than dissolving natural sugar cane and blue agave nectar for a kiss of sweetness. Finally, they mix it with coconut cream and coconut milk for a trippy sip that’s equal components unique and ingenious – and simply occurs to be vegan.
La Santisima serves up a Yerbabuena Mint made with simply three components: sugar, contemporary mint, and water.
Allison Young
La Santisima Gourmet Taco Shop
4117 North sixteenth Street
602-254-6330
5932 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale
623-939-3292
La Santisima‘s horchata is as well-known as its in depth salsa bar. Developed from a household recipe, the cool, frothy drink comes topped with chopped strawberry, cantaloupe, pecans, and specks of cinnamon for the right settle down between bites of salsa-spiked tacos. But the actual refresher is the Yerbabuena Mint, a not-nearly-as-sweet sip that turns simply three components – sugar, contemporary mint, and water – into the final word taco tamer.
Tres Leches Café
1714 West Van Buren Street
602-368-1804
The aguas frescas at Tres Leches Café vary from candy to sweeter. Made contemporary from mustachioed proprietor José “ET” Rivera’s recipes, the roster contains 12 flavors, together with pina colada, prickly pear, coconut, agua de mazapan, horchata, and the sweetest of the bunch, Sundae la Rosa. This confection in a cup is impressed by chocolate-covered mazapan. More like a dessert than a drink, the latter is made with the favored peanut and powdered sugar Mexican sweet and topped with chocolate sauce and a cherry. Add a shot of espresso to make it a “sucia.”
Presidio Cocina Mexicana
519 West Thomas Road
602-279-8420
The recipe for Presidio’s award-winning horchata is a intently guarded secret. Ask your server and also you’ll get a obscure reply that features some combo of rice milk, entire milk, evaporated milk, and cinnamon with none specifics. The one that does know is Lucina Nava. She brings her Michoacán-inspired household recipes, like housemade chorizo, contemporary tortillas, and daring salsas, to Presidio. Needless to say, historical past, household, and love go into the recipe, leading to a wealthy, nuanced drink with simply the correct amount of candy that goes down {smooth}.
Just Tacos and More
2910 North thirty second Street
602-675-3924
When you stroll into Just Tacos and More, an unassuming strip mall spot on the nook of Thomas and thirty second Street, two beehive-shaped jugs of aguas frescas greet you together with a colourful signal asserting the flavors. Made contemporary every day, you’ll be able to depend on horchata, served from a barrel brimming with almonds, pecans, coconut, diced strawberries, and apples sweetened with condensed and evaporated milk. The second taste sways between papaya, watermelon, tamarindo, and cucumber limeade with a touch of mint. All of the inventive concoctions sing with contemporary fruit and tropical tastes. Whether you pair your drink with a ceviche tostada or an ancho chile-marinated fish taco, the meals is simply as vibrant and flavorful.
The Horchata Company
1900 E fifth Street, Tempe
480-479-9468
Stephen May and his spouse Maria Janet formally began The Horchata Company in February of 2022 out of Tempe Food Court, however they began making and honing the Mexican drink lengthy earlier than. Janet hails from Acapulco, and the couple lived in Puerto Vallarta for 10 years. There, they served up frothy, fruity creations and combos to family and friends.
“We wanted everyone to be able to experience the taste of authentic horchata from Mexico without traveling all way there to try it,” May says. As effectively as their unique horchata, the duo provide mango, peach, strawberry, pina colada, chocolate, iced espresso, and blue curacao horchata.
Raul’s Cocina
Uptown Farmers Market at 5757 North Central Avenue
623-341-1521
Raul’s Cocina serves vegan standouts galore together with hearts of palm ceviche, pink jackfruit tamales, and jalapeño chickpea salad. These Mexican-inspired dishes additionally occur to be gluten-free. The aguas frescas aren’t any exception. All are made and served with love by proprietor Anna “Salsa” Salazar. Strawberry Jamaica tames the tartness of hibiscus and pina is mixed with actual pineapple, then strained, leaving hints of the tropical fruit. Both are sweetened with agave. But it’s the horchata that’ll preserve you coming again. This rice milk, coconut cream, and cinnamon sip is sweetened with condensed coconut milk. It’s each creamy and refreshing.
Futuro
909 North First Street
602-730-3227
As you would possibly anticipate from an artwork gallery and minimalist espresso store housed inside Palabra, a contemporary hair studio within the Roosevelt arts district, the horchata at Futuro is something however fundamental. Housemade with toasted wild rice, cinnamon, uncooked almonds, allspice, cane sugar, and oat milk, the dairy-free mix is so wealthy and thick that the cinnamon floats, suspended all through. Pair it with a picture-perfect sculpture of a pastry made by Mark Chacón, like his beautiful layered Horchata Bavarian Tres Leches cake, for a duo that tastes much more elevated when loved inside the white-walled house.
The horchata at Provecho begins with unblanched rice that’s soaked for twenty-four hours.
Allison Young
Provecho
901 North First Street
The horchata at The Churchill’s Provecho takes time to create. It begins with unblanched rice that’s soaked for twenty-four hours after which blended for eight minutes with entire cinnamon sticks, sugar cane, and Mexican vanilla. Then in goes entire milk and a little bit evaporated milk to offer it physique, making a silky-smooth sip that’s proper on the sting of candy. This transport container restaurant additionally serves an agua of the day, like Jamaica Fresa or Limon Con Chia, which pair completely with the Guadalajara-inspired tacos.