The First Agua Frida in Texas

Lime, Tehuacán, and a little fire on the rim. A Mexican thing and a Texas thing at exactly the same time.

Back home, Frida's signature drink never needed a menu. A tall glass jar, whatever one was around, rimmed with Tajín. Ice, fresh lime juice, and Tehuacán poured over the top until the bubbles argue with the ice. A lime wedge and a sliced jalapeño ride the rim. Her friends started calling it the Agua Frida, and the name stuck.

There is nothing to hide behind in a drink like that. Three honest ingredients and a kick, which means the water has to carry it: the fine bubble, the clean mineral finish, the cold. That is why it is Tehuacán or it is not an Agua Frida.

Tonight, at a warm little Austin bar, she builds the first Agua Frida on Texas soil. It tastes like home and not-home in one swallow. For a single second, the foam catches the light and looks like the mountain from home.

El que sabe, SABE.

Follow at @drinktehuacan.