Hibiscus Spice Cooler mocktail recipe
Tart hibiscus tea, a light cinnamon-clove syrup and soda in a deep magenta highball.
Method: Build · Glass: Highball glass · Time: 10 minutes · Difficulty: Beginner
Ingredients
- 2 oz strong chilled hibiscus tea
- ½ oz cinnamon-clove syrup
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 3 oz chilled club soda
How to make it
- Steep dried hibiscus in freshly boiled water for 4 minutes, strain and chill the tea.
- Fill a highball with ice and add hibiscus tea, cinnamon-clove syrup and lime.
- Top with cold club soda and lift once.
- Add the cinnamon quill and lime wheel.
Garnish
A short cinnamon quill and lime wheel
Why this balance works
Hibiscus is naturally tart, so lime is used sparingly to freshen rather than intensify it. The cinnamon-clove syrup is a supporting note: it should round the tea, not make the drink taste like holiday punch. Taste the chilled tea before mixing. If it is already puckering, use a little less lime or add another teaspoon of syrup rather than making the soda portion smaller.
Technique to keep
Hibiscus is fast to brew. Four minutes gives colour and a clean tartness; a much longer steep can become rough and astringent. Make the spice syrup separately with a short simmer and strain out the cinnamon and clove. Combining two controlled bases lets you adjust tea, spice and sweetness independently. Chill both before soda goes in, otherwise the ice melts too quickly and the highball loses definition.
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