Spanish Cocktail (Agua de Valencia)

Valencia, Spain’s third largest city; the original home of traditional Paella, Valencian oranges and the blow your head off cocktail, Agua de Valencia. Also known as Valencian water, it is a cava-based cocktail with vodka, gin and orange juice (of course!). It’s not a drink for the fainthearted.

History
Word on the street is that there is a nice little anecdote as to how Agua de Valencia found its way onto the cocktail menu. In 1959, the drink was first made by Constante Gil in Café Madrid in Valencia. A group of Basque travellers who regularly visited decided to ask the barman to give them something new to drink instead of the sparkling wine that they were used to ordering. As a bit of a joke, Constante Gil recommended ‘Agua de Valencia’ but when the travellers all accepted his suggestion he found himself having to invent a new drink on the spot. The new concoction proved popular and the travellers continued to order this every time they visited the city. It was only in the 1970s that the drink became more well known to Valencian revellers. You can find more information about the history of this cocktail and its inventor over at La Valencia Bonita (website in Spanish)

Ingredients
200ml Orange Juice
50 ml Vodka, 50ml Gin
700 ml of Cava or Champagne for those with more expensive taste
Sugar (as desired)

Method
Pour 700ml of orange juice into a jug.
Throw in 2 shots of vodka and 2 shots of gin
Pop a bottle of Cava or champagne and add
Add a sprinkling of sugar to sweeten
Refrigerate before serving

Share with friends and raise a glass, ¡Salud! It’s 5 o’clock somewhere after all!

If this doesn’t tickle your taste buds, why not try the Spanish Cocktail Tinto de Verano.