Agua de Valencia: Spanish Sunshine in a Glass
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Agua de Valencia may be a Spanish cocktail, but you don’t have to fly to Spain to enjoy the fruity summer sipper. The easier option is to follow this recipe and craft one at home in just a few minutes.
Are you familiar with Agua de Valencia? If your answer is no, you’re not alone. While Valencia is famous around the world for its paella, not many people know about the Spanish city’s signature cocktail.
We never drank Agua de Valencia cocktails until we traveled to the coastal Mediterranean city. Within 24 hours of our arrival, we drank the tasty tipple at two different bars, including the bar where it was invented. Then, after our trip was a happy memory, we crafted a pitcher at home.
We’re now fans of the sparkling sipper. And why not? Agua de Valencia is a refreshing cocktail that’s equally ideal for brunch parties and nighttime soirées. Plus, it’s super easy to craft at home.
What Is Agua de Valencia?
Agua de Valencia is a sparkling cocktail with just four ingredients: freshly squeezed orange juice, cava, vodka and gin. Ironically, despite its name, water is not one of the ingredients.
Fun Fact
Agua de Valencia is called Aigua de València in Valencia.
We think of Agua de Valencia as a boozier version of the Mimosa. So if you like the famous French cocktail, then you’re practically guaranteed to like Spain’s sipper too. Just be careful not to sip too many glasses at one time since this potable is surprisingly potent.
History of Agua de Valencia
While Agua de Valencia is a relatively recent entrant in the global cocktail arena, it’s neither new nor trendy in its home city. Valencians have been sipping the drink for more than sixty years!
As documented by author María Ángeles Arazo, a Valencian bartender named Constante Gil invented the Spanish sipper at Café Madrid using two local ingredients, Valencian orange juice and cava, plus gin and vodka in 1959. Gil’s cocktail creation later became popular at local bars, with each establishment tweaking Gil’s original recipe to make it its own.
Ingredients
This Agua de Valencia recipe requires the following four ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
While Valencian bars typically serve Agua de Valencia in pitchers, this recipe is for a single glass. However, you can certainly increase the ingredients and serve the drink in a pitcher or jar. Your Agua de Valencia will taste great either way, assuming that you freshly squeeze the orange juice and serve the drink chilled.
How to Craft the Agua de Valencia
Once you squeeze the orange juice, you’re just minutes away from sipping Agua de Valencia. We like to use an electric juicer, but you can use a manual juicer or buy high-quality freshly squeezed orange juice instead. Either way, you’ll want to chill the orange juice until the moment you’re ready to craft the cocktail.
When you’re ready, the first step is to measure the cocktail’s four liquids. We like to use a Japanese jigger for this step both to achieve accurate measurement and to minimize spillage.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Pour the orange juice, gin, vodka and cava into a mixing glass.
Gently stir with a bar spoon until the four liquids are combined.
Pro Tip
Be careful not to overstir as you don’t want to lose the cava’s bubbles.
Strain the stirred liquids into a coupe glass.
You’re good to go once you strain the drink into the glass. No garnishes are necessary in this recipe!
Variations
We recommend following this Agua de Valencia recipe once and then making it your own. Here are some variations to consider:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Agua de Valencia Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cava (chilled)
- 3 ounces orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 ounce gin (dry)
- 1 ounce vodka
Equipment
- Electric Citrus Juicer (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the orange juice, gin, vodka and cava into a mixing glass.
- Gently stir.
- Strain into a glass.
Notes
- Add a splash of simple syrup if your orange juice isn’t sweet.
- Serve over ice if you don’t have time to chill the cava.
- Increase the ingredients if you want to serve a pitcher to your friends.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Agua de Valencia is a sparkling Spanish cocktail crafted with orange juice, cava, vodka and gin.
Agua de Valencia was invented in Valencia, Spain.
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice, Cava, Gin and Vodka
Agua de Valencia is stirred, not shaken.
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