Agualoja
In Fearful Breakers, In Fearful Breakers, José, Rafael, and the other children at Señora Morejón’s celebratory fiesta enjoy drinking agualoja while their parents drink rum punch. The drink has its origins in Spain and became quite popular later in the 19th century, when vendors would hawk it on the streets.
It is still consumed in Latin American countries today. A recipe I found online from Puerto Rico used molasses as the base. I chose to use a recipe from the Nuevo manual del cocinero cubano y español. It makes a simple syrup that is then added to water to make a refreshing summer drink. The dominant flavors are cinnamon and cloves, with a subtle tang from the pepper. I could detect no difference from the use of mint; you might wish to omit it.
1 c sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 sprig mint
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Store the resulting syrup in the refrigerator.
When you wish a glass of agualoja, add 2 tablespoons of the syrup to one cup of cold water. You can increase or decrease the amount of syrup used to achieve the desired sweetness and flavor. I tried using seltzer water instead of tap water and liked it much better.
