The Tex-Mexplainer series explores the ingredients, techniques, history, and culture of Mexican food in Texas. When I visit a taqueria, I prefer to drink Mexican Coke or mineral water with my meal.

The sound and vision that this word conjures still excite our ears and eyes. The cold, colorful drinks in huge plastic jugs, with large chunks of ice, ladled on to plastic cups, bring back happy ...

Agua fresca has become so mainstream, especially in Texas, that people often think of it in the same category as Topo Chico or Mexican Coke. Agua fresca means "fresh water," and as the name implies, ...