Hibiscus Hour

I recently discovered dried hibiscus flowers at our local international grocery store (Grand Mart). I was so ecstatic! I snatched them up and knew I'd create a delicious cocktail for a small dinner gathering we were having that evening (and the price? a mere $1.99 a bag). That night the menu was latin-inspired so we served hibiscus margaritas. Here is how you can prepare the juice:
Boil 2 oz dried hibiscus flowers with several cups water (about 6) and 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (or less or more, depending on how sweet you want it), you can also add some honey if you want, and the juice of one lime. Remove from the heat after a few minutes and let sit for about an hour, strain, then chill.

For the margaritas, we simply poured a shot of tequila in each glass and poured the juice in, over ice. It was the most incredible margarita. Of course, making frozen margaritas with the hibiscus juice would also work very well.

The juice is a very dark pinkish red and will dangerously stain so handle with care. It tastes delicious served just like tea, over ice, or hot. The plain juice is really refreshing and it doesn't have a strong floral flavor, like jasmine, it tastes more like a berry. An added benefit: hibiscus tea is high in vitamin C, and studies have shown it to reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Check out all the exciting things people are making with hibiscus here on TasteSpotting.

On Father's Day, we served hibiscus sangria. I took about 4 cups of the juice and combined it with a bottle of red wine.

If you can find hibiscus flowers grab them and make something yourself. I am looking forward to making hibiscus mojitos in the near future.