Agua de Valencia
Encyclopedia
Valencian Water is a cocktail
made from a base of cava or champagne, orange juice
, vodka
and gin
. In general, it is served in pitchers of various sizes and is drunk in a broad cocktail glass. It was made for the first time in 1959 by Constante Gil in the bar Café Madrid de Valencia in the city of Valencia, Spain.
According to the writer María Ángeles Arazo in her book "Valencia Noche" the bar was frequented at that time by a group of Basque
travellers that used to order "Agua de Bilbao" (Spanish, Water of Bilbao
), referring to the bar's best cava. Tired of always ordering the same thing, they challenged the owner to offer them something new and he suggested that they try the "Agua de Valencia". They agreed to try what Gil made, and liking it, they continued to drink it in later visits.
For a decade the drink was known only to a small group of clients and it wasn't until the 1970s that it started to become known in the wider Valencian nightlife. Since then, it has grown to be a very popular drink.
Constante Gil left the bar in 2000. And he dedicated himself to painting "Tertulias de Café" (Spanish, social gatherings of the café), a homage to his experiences there. Gil died of a heart attack the 7th of June, 2009 in Valencia, Spain.
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
made from a base of cava or champagne, orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
, vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
and gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
. In general, it is served in pitchers of various sizes and is drunk in a broad cocktail glass. It was made for the first time in 1959 by Constante Gil in the bar Café Madrid de Valencia in the city of Valencia, Spain.
According to the writer María Ángeles Arazo in her book "Valencia Noche" the bar was frequented at that time by a group of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
travellers that used to order "Agua de Bilbao" (Spanish, Water of Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
), referring to the bar's best cava. Tired of always ordering the same thing, they challenged the owner to offer them something new and he suggested that they try the "Agua de Valencia". They agreed to try what Gil made, and liking it, they continued to drink it in later visits.
For a decade the drink was known only to a small group of clients and it wasn't until the 1970s that it started to become known in the wider Valencian nightlife. Since then, it has grown to be a very popular drink.
Constante Gil left the bar in 2000. And he dedicated himself to painting "Tertulias de Café" (Spanish, social gatherings of the café), a homage to his experiences there. Gil died of a heart attack the 7th of June, 2009 in Valencia, Spain.
Ingredients
- 20 cL Orange juiceOrange juiceOrange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
- 5 cL GinGinGin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
- 5 cL VodkaVodkaVodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
- 70 cL Cava
- Pinch SugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
Method of preparation
- Squeeze a glass of orange juice into a pitcher.
- Add a bottle of semi-dry cava.
- Add a glass of vodka and gin.
- Add sugar according to your taste.
- Place in the refrigerator.