Agua de Valencia is the city's cocktail: Spanish cava blended with fresh Valencian orange juice, gin and vodka, invented in 1959 at Cafe Madrid.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Agua de Valencia was invented in 1959 by Constante Gil Rodriguez, the owner of Cafe Madrid on Carrer de l'Abadia de Sant Marti. The legend says a group of Basque tourists asked for agua de Bilbao (Basque cava); Constante poured them a cava-and-orange-juice mix and named it agua de Valencia after his city. The recipe has not changed since: Valencian orange juice, cava brut, gin, vodka and sugar, served by the carafe. The drink became canonical across the city, with Cafe Madrid still the canonical pour.
Common allergens: Sulfites (cava)
Tip from the editors. Use real fresh Valencian orange juice (Navelina variety is canonical), never bottled. The cava goes in last to preserve the carbonation.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Cafe Madrid in Valencia is the 1959 birthplace of agua de Valencia, pouring the cava-and-orange cocktail by the carafe until 02:00 nightly.
Try: Agua de Valencia carafe
Tip: Order by the carafe for two. The recipe has not changed since 1959.
Cafe de las Horas on Carrer del Comte d'Almodovar in Valencia's old town is a baroque-decor cocktail and tea bar with a strong agua de Valencia pour and a candle-lit room.
Signature drink: Agua de Valencia
Food: Cakes and tapas
Tip: Open daily through the day; the room is most atmospheric at dusk. Reservations not taken.
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