Refreshing Costa Rican Agua de Sapo Recipe

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Agua de sapo is a refreshing drink from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica- and its name also happens to translate to “frog water.” Read on to find out more about this unique- and delicious- drink.

About Costa Rican Agua de Sapo

At first glance, agua de sapo feels like it might be a sort of gross recipe since it literally translates to English as “frog water.” And to be fair, it also sort of looks like dirty frog water. But hopefully, the picture above makes you want to try this delightful drink, and not run in the other direction. Because it truly is delightful by all accounts.

Agua de sapo has its origins on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and combines the tapa de dulce (known in other parts of Latin America as piloncillo) with ginger, a flavor brought in to Costa Rica by Jamaican railroad workers during the time of the railroad construction in the late 1800s.

I first had this drink at Finca Libertad Pura, one of my favorite places to horseback ride in Costa Rica. After a long, hot day of riding, we returned to the restaurant to drink ice-cold agua de sapo and I was hooked. It sort of tastes like an iced sun tea on steroids. It’s truly a unique drink, and I am excited to share the recipe with you here.

RELATED POST: Learn How Tapa de Dulce Is Made

Agua de Sapo Recipe

Printable recipe below

Ingredients

• tapa de dulce, (in the US called piloncillo o panela)
• ginger
• water
• limes

Instructions

Place 2 liters of water and the tapa de dulce in a large saucepan or stockpot. Boil on medium heat until the tapa de dulce is dissolved, stirring occasionally.

While the tapa de dulce is dissolving, peel and chop your ginger and juice the limes. Once the tapa de dulce has melted, add the ginger and lime juice. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Strain the juice into a large container and add the other 2 liters of water. Place everything in the fridge until cold. Serve ice cold.

RELATED POST: Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe

Substitutions

You can substitute 2.5 cups of dark brown sugar for the tapa de dulce

If you are in Costa Rica you will use “limones criollos” and in the US you will use just regular green lime or a key lime.

I use Dorot frozen ginger cubes that I find at Wal-Mart or Trader Joe’s instead of using fresh ginger. It’s just easier. This recipe uses a whole package.

RELATED POST: Costa Rican Drink Recipes

Variations

You can omit the ginger. In some regions, they add a stick of cinnamon.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this with breakfast, lunch and dinner. A few of my favorite dishes to go with this are:

• Costa Rican Casado
• Bistec Encebollado
• Barbudos Recipe Costa Rica
• Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe
• Costa Rican Rice and Beans
• Costa Rican Caribbean Chicken

Printable Recipe