Which Non-Alcoholic Mexican Drinks Can You Order at El Patron, From Mangonadas to Mexican Sodas?
At El Patron, our non-alcoholic Mexican drinks include the Mangonada (icy mango with fresh lime, chamoy sauce and Tajín), the Orange Crush (muddled oranges, Sprite and orange juice), the Look Alive Sunshine (strawberry, lime, passion fruit and mint), fruit Smoothies, and Mexican Sodas, including Jarritos and Topo Chico. Each one suits a different mood.
Chamoy and Tajín in the Mangonada. Muddled oranges in the Orange Crush. Those few words can make you pause over our drinks list, yet they're exactly why these drinks taste like more than fruit juice: pickled-fruit tang, chili-lime salt and crushed citrus.
Below, we walk through each drink, decode the menu words and finish with a mood chooser that pairs every glass with a dish, so choosing non-alcoholic drinks at a Mexican restaurant in Orlando stops being guesswork.
Key Takeaways
If your server is already heading back to the table, these five points cover the drinks in this guide and how to choose.
- This guide covers five of our non-alcoholic drinks: Mangonada, Orange Crush, Look Alive Sunshine, Smoothies and Mexican Sodas.
- A mangonada is an icy mango drink with lime, chamoy and chili seasoning, so it tastes sweet, sour, salty and spicy at once.
- Chamoy is a Mexican sauce made from pickled fruit, and Tajín, the chili-lime seasoning in our Mangonada, dates to 1985.
- Our Mexican Sodas cover Coke, Jarritos and Topo Chico, a Mexican mineral water drawn from the same source since 1895.
- Can't decide? The mood chooser near the end matches each drink to a feeling and a dish.
The Short Version
Order the Mangonada for bold flavor, the Orange Crush for citrus fizz, or Look Alive Sunshine for tart freshness; Smoothies and sodas cover everyone else. A strawberry or peach Smoothie is the gentle pick for younger diners, and a Mexican Soda keeps things simple. Can't agree? Order a Mangonada and a mango Smoothie side by side and taste what chamoy and Tajín add.
What Is a Mangonada, and Why Is It Sweet, Sour, Salty and Spicy at Once?
A mangonada is an icy Mexican mango drink made with lime, chamoy and chili seasoning, so each sip lands sweet, sour, salty and spicy. It's the mango version of the chamoyada, a sweet and spicy Mexican shaved-ice drink flavored with chamoy, and you'll also hear it called a chamango. It has caught on across U.S. regions with large Mexican-American communities, and nobody has pinned down who blended the first one; it grew up at street stalls, markets and ice cream shops across Mexico.
Our Mangonada follows that blueprint: mango, fresh lime, chamoy sauce and Tajín, served icy. Each ingredient owns one corner of the flavor: mango brings the sweetness, fresh lime the sour snap, chamoy the salt and tang with a chili edge, and Tajín more chili, lime and salt.
What is chamoy?
Chamoy (say it cha-MOY) is a family of Mexican sauces made from pickled fruit, ranging from pourable to thick paste. Fruit is packed in brine, sometimes sharpened with vinegar; the dried fruit becomes a snack called saladitos, and the leftover brine, seasoned with chili powder, becomes chamoy. That's why it tastes salty, sweet, sour and spicy at once.
Its roots likely run across the Pacific. Food historian Rachel Laudan, the first to trace chamoy's journey, links it to see mui, a salty dried apricot common in China, and one theory has the idea arriving on the Manila galleons that sailed between the Philippines and Mexico from 1565 to 1815. Today it shows up across Mexico as sauce, powder, candy and shaved ice.
What is Tajín?
Tajín (tah-HEEN) is a Mexican seasoning of chili, lime and salt, and it's the last ingredient listed on our Mangonada. Horacio Fernández created it in Guadalajara to capture his grandmother's sauce in powdered form, and the company dates its launch to 23 December 1985. The original blend grinds chiles de árbol, guajillo and pasilla with sea salt and dehydrated lime, and the name nods to El Tajín, an archaeological site in Veracruz.
What Are Mexican Sodas, and How Do Jarritos and Topo Chico Differ?
Mexican sodas are the fizzy soft drinks Mexico calls refrescos, and our menu lists Coke, Jarritos and Topo Chico plus five fruit flavors. The Mexican Sodas listing reads Coke; lime, mango, pineapple, mandarin and strawberry; Jarritos; and Topo Chico, so ask your server which flavors are on hand today. Jarritos and Topo Chico share that list, but they're very different drinks.
Jarritos: fruit first, bubbles second
Jarritos dates to 1950, when chemist Francisco "El Güero" Hill started the brand in Mexico. The name means "little jars," a nod to the clay water jugs common across Mexico that the first bottle resembled, and Hill built the lineup on fruit flavors from orchards and groves around the country. According to the brand, he also deliberately kept the carbonation gentle.
Topo Chico: mineral water from Monterrey
Topo Chico is a mineral water, drawn from the same natural source at Cerro del Topo Chico in northern Mexico since 1895. Saveur places the limestone-rich spring at the foot of an inactive volcano in Monterrey and calls the water clean and slightly salty: the crispest, least fruity choice on our list. Trivia for the table: the Coca-Cola Company says the first Coca-Cola in Mexico was bottled at a Topo Chico facility in the 1920s, so two names on our soda list share some history.
So which one? Go fruit-flavored for sweet and juicy, Topo Chico for bubbles without fruit, and Coke for the taste you already know.
What Do the Orange Crush and Look Alive Sunshine Taste Like?
The Orange Crush tastes like fresh orange with fizz, while the Look Alive Sunshine leans tart and herbal, with strawberry, lime, passion fruit and mint. Both drinks sit in the Non-Alcoholic Beverages part of our drinks menu, alongside the Mangonada and our Smoothies.
Orange Crush: orange, twice over
Our Orange Crush is made with fresh muddled oranges, Sprite and orange juice. To muddle is to crush or mash an ingredient right into a drink, so you get orange two ways, crushed fruit plus juice, with Sprite adding the bubbles. If you like your citrus bright and fizzy rather than sharp, this is your glass.
Look Alive Sunshine: tart, fruity and cool
The Look Alive Sunshine combines strawberry, fresh lime, passion fruit and fresh mint. Passion fruit, or maracuyá in Spanish, grows on a vine native to the stretch of South America from Brazil to northeastern Argentina, and its pulp is known for a tart, aromatic flavor. Missionaries named it for the Passion of Christ, which they saw in the vine's flower. In this drink, strawberry softens the edges, lime sharpens them and mint keeps the finish cool.
How Should You Pick a Smoothie Flavor?
Pick a smoothie by how bold you want it: strawberry and peach stay gentle, mango feels tropical, and passion fruit brings the most tang. Our Smoothies come in your choice of strawberry, peach, mango or passion fruit.
In Mexico, blended fruit drinks often go by licuado, roughly "blended." The classic licuado mixes fruit with milk and usually ice, and street stands, juice shops and restaurants sell them all over the country. Our menu doesn't spell out the base, so if you need to know exactly what goes into the blender, ask your server.
Our take: strawberry is the easy yes for younger diners, peach is the mellowest, mango is the most tropical (and a fun side-by-side with the Mangonada if you want to taste what chamoy and Tajín add), and passion fruit is the tart one for Look Alive Sunshine fans.
What Do Chamoy, Muddled and the Other Drink Words Mean?
Chamoy is a pickled-fruit sauce, muddled means crushed into the drink, and the other five words name a fruit, a seasoning or a drink style.
The El Patron Drink Word Decoder
| Word | What it means | Where you'll see it with us |
|---|---|---|
| Mangonada | The mango version of the chamoyada, a sweet and spicy Mexican shaved-ice drink flavored with chamoy. Also called chamango. | Mangonada |
| Chamoy (cha-MOY) | A Mexican sauce made from pickled fruit and its brine, seasoned with chili. Salty, sweet, sour and spicy. | Mangonada |
| Tajín (tah-HEEN) | A chili, lime and salt seasoning created in Guadalajara in 1985. | Mangonada |
| Muddled | Crushed or mashed right into the drink. | Orange Crush |
| Passion fruit (maracuyá) | A tart, aromatic fruit from a South American vine. | Look Alive Sunshine, Smoothies |
| Refresco | Spanish for a carbonated soft drink. | Mexican Sodas |
| Licuado | A blended fruit drink, traditionally made with milk, fruit and usually ice. The closest Spanish cousin of a smoothie. | Smoothies (our menu uses the English name) |
Which Non-Alcoholic Drink Should You Order? Match It to Your Mood
Order by mood: Mangonada for sweet heat, Orange Crush for citrus fizz, Look Alive Sunshine for tart herbs, Smoothies for blended fruit, sodas for classics. The "try it with" column suggests a dish from our kitchen for each drink; treat those pairings as ideas to play with, not rules.
Pick Your Drink by Mood
| Drink | Base | Taste | Texture | Try it with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangonada | Mango, fresh lime, chamoy sauce, Tajín | Sweet, sour, salty, with a chili-lime kick | Icy | Quesabirria: cold tang between cheesy, consomme-dipped bites |
| Orange Crush | Fresh muddled oranges, Sprite, orange juice | Sweet citrus, fizzy | Bubbly, with crushed fruit | Al Pastor Taco: orange fizz beside guajillo glaze and pineapple salsa |
| Look Alive Sunshine | Strawberry, fresh lime, passion fruit, fresh mint | Tart, fruity, herbal | Fresh fruit and mint (ask how it's poured) | Al Pastor Taco: passion fruit and lime meet pineapple salsa |
| Smoothies | Strawberry, peach, mango or passion fruit | Fruity, from gentle (peach) to tangy (passion fruit) | Blended | Churros: fruit with cinnamon and dulce de leche as dessert |
| Mexican Sodas | Coke, Jarritos, Topo Chico; lime, mango, pineapple, mandarin and strawberry flavors | Sweet and fizzy, or crisp and mineral with Topo Chico | Carbonated | Topo Chico with Quesabirria, or a fruit flavor with the Al Pastor Taco |
Ordering for a whole table? Pair one bold drink with one simple one so everyone has a safe fallback. Our full menu has a drinks section with the current non-alcoholic choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
These quick answers cover the drink questions this guide doesn't tackle above, from chili heat and tartness to easy picks for younger diners.
Are all five drinks non-alcoholic?
Yes. Our drinks menu lists all five as non-alcoholic: four carry its non-alcoholic tag, and the Mexican Sodas sit in its Non-Alcoholic section. Drinks can change, so check the current drinks section before you visit.
Is the Mangonada spicy?
It carries some chili, because both chamoy and Tajín contain it. Tajín's maker describes its blend as mild chili peppers, lime and sea salt. If you're sensitive to spice, ask your server before you order.
Which drink is the easiest pick for kids?
A strawberry or peach Smoothie, or a fruit-flavored Mexican Soda, is the gentlest start. The Mangonada carries chili from the chamoy and Tajín, so let kids try a sip first. For food ideas, see our guide to Mexican food kids actually eat in Orlando.
What's the difference between a Mangonada and a mango Smoothie?
Both start with mango. The Mangonada adds fresh lime, chamoy and Tajín and comes icy, so it tastes sweet, sour, salty and spicy. The mango Smoothie is a blended fruit drink with no chili listed, so it stays fruit-forward.
Which drink tastes the most tart?
The Look Alive Sunshine, thanks to fresh lime and passion fruit. If you want tart in a blended drink, order the passion fruit Smoothie. For crisp bubbles without fruit, choose Topo Chico from our Mexican Sodas.
Pull Up a Chair and Order by Mood
Pick a mood, order the matching drink and pair it with something from our kitchen; that's the whole plan for your next visit. We've been family-owned since October 2007 at 12167 S Apopka Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL 32836, in the Lake Buena Vista area, serving a modern twist on traditional Mexican, from artisan tacos to handcrafted drinks. We're open daily for lunch and dinner; see our homepage for current hours. Reserve a table for the whole crew or order online for pickup. Come taste the tradition.
References
Every outside fact in this guide traces to one of the sources below, each reviewed on 9 October 2026 before publishing.
- Wikipedia. "Chamoyada." en.wikipedia.org
- Club + Resort Chef. "What Is a Mangonada?" clubandresortchef.com
- Wikipedia. "Chamoy (sauce)." en.wikipedia.org
- NPR, The Salt. "Chamoy Is Mexico's Flavor Fiesta Condiment, Courtesy Of China." 17 January 2017. npr.org
- Tajín. "About Us." tajin.com
- Wikipedia. "Tajín seasoning." en.wikipedia.org
- Food Network. "What Is Tajín?" foodnetwork.com
- Jarritos. "The Colorful History of Jarritos." jarritos.com
- Jarritos. "Raise a Glass to Jarritos' 70th Anniversary." August 2020. jarritos.com
- The Coca-Cola Company. "Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water Joins Coke's Venturing & Emerging Brands Portfolio." 2 October 2017. coca-colacompany.com
- Baldwin, Cory. "Topo Chico." Saveur, 28 January 2013. saveur.com
- Dictionary.com. "Muddle." dictionary.com
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "Passiflora edulis Sims." Plants of the World Online. powo.science.kew.org
- University of Kansas. "Passion Fruit." Foods Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. aihd.ku.edu
- Wikipedia. "Licuado." en.wikipedia.org
Related Articles
These two guides pick up where this one leaves off, with a first-visit ordering plan and the lowdown on our Unlimited Taco Tuesdays.
Disclaimer
Menus, drinks and ingredients can change without notice, so check the current menu on our site before you visit. This guide is general food and drink information, not allergy, dietary or medical advice.