Ingredients
Base
- 300 gtapa dulce, raw cane sugar block
- or 300 g panela or dark muscovado sugar
- 1.5 litreswater
To flavour
- 150 gfresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced
- juice of 6 limes
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- plenty of ice
- lime wedges
Directions
- Chop it with a heavy knife on a board. Take care, since the blocks are extremely hard. Do not bother peeling the ginger. Slice it thickly or crush it with the flat of a knife. Use more than seems reasonable. Put the water in a pot with the chopped sugar.
- Add the sliced fresh ginger to it. Bring it to a boil over a high heat. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Let it cook for about fifteen minutes. The liquid darkens and takes on the ginger.
- Take the pot right off the heat. Cover the pot and let it stand. Give it at least thirty minutes. Pour it through a fine sieve into a jug. Press the ginger gently with a spoon.
- Discard all the ginger pieces. The liquid should be dark brown and cloudy. Let the liquid cool to room temperature first.
- Squeeze the lime juice into it. Adding lime to a hot pot dulls the flavour. Add the pinch of salt as well. Salt lifts both the sugar and the ginger. Stir the whole thing thoroughly.
- Taste it and adjust the balance. It should be sweet, sour and clearly hot with ginger. Add more lime if it is too sweet. Add water if it is too strong. Cover the jug and refrigerate it. Give it at least three full hours.
- Stir the jug well before pouring. Pour it into tall glasses filled with ice. Add a lime wedge to each glass. It is drunk in hot weather on the Caribbean coast. Discard it if it starts to taste fizzy.
Technique
- Limon province has a distinct Afro-Caribbean culture with its own food and drink, much of it brought by Jamaican workers in the nineteenth century.
- Agua de sapo belongs to that tradition rather than to the wider Costa Rican one.
Substitutions
- Panela, piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar all replace tapa dulce.
- White sugar with a spoonful of molasses gives an approximation of the flavour.
Variations
- Some vendors add a splash of rum for adults.
- A version with more lime and less sugar is drunk as a cooler.
- Adding a cinnamon stick to the pot is done in some households.
History
A Limón province cooler of Afro-Caribbean origin whose name, toad water, describes only its murky colour.
Frequently asked questions
What is Agua de sapo?
Agua de sapo is a drink from Costa Rica: cold drink of tapa dulce, fresh ginger and lime juice. A Limón province cooler of Afro-Caribbean origin whose name, toad water, describes only its murky colour.
How long does Agua de sapo take to make?
Agua de sapo takes 15 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Agua de sapo?
Yes, within limits. Panela, piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar all replace tapa dulce. White sugar with a spoonful of molasses gives an approximation of the flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Agua de sapo?
Chop it with a heavy knife on a board. Take care, since the blocks are extremely hard. Do not bother peeling the ginger. Slice it thickly or crush it with the flat of a knife. Use more than seems reasonable. Put the water in a pot with the chopped sugar.
