Topo Chico

By Cory Baldwin

Credit: Todd Coleman

Whenever I'm lucky enough to find an ice-cold glass bottle of Topo Chico at a Mexican grocery in the States, I'm sure to grab one. The bubbly mineral water, with its clean, slightly salty taste, takes me back to the sweltering Texas border towns where I first discovered it. I love its logo, with its old-fashioned font whimsically capped in frost. And I relish knowing that the water I'm drinking has been sourced from a limestone-rich spring at the foot of its namesake, the inactive volcano Cerro del Topo Chico in Monterrey, Mexico, since 1895. It's amazing how something so simple can transport you so far.

Topo Chico mineral water, available at local Hispanic markets or $9.99 for twelve 11.5-ounce bottles at Amazon.com