Hibiscus Limeade | Agua de Jamaica y Limón

Hibiscus Limeade | Agua de Jamaica y Limón

Last summer, I visited the picturesque town of Vail, Colorado for the first time. Best known as a world-class ski resort, it is also a vibrant summer destination. It was at a Sunday farmers’ market in Vail that I first tasted hibiscus limeade and boy was it was delicious!

Growing up in a Mexican-American household, I was always exposed to agua de jamaica, or hibiscus iced tea. The addition of limeade adds a whole new twist to an already delightful drink. I like to think of it as the Mexican Arnold Palmer. It’s the simple changes like these that open up a whole new world of recipes and flavors, all fantastically gratifying to the palate.

hibiscus-flowers-steeping

Strain concentrate, but be sure to reserve your flowers.

hibiscus-flowers-rehydrated

Rehydrated hibiscus flowers are edible and can be tossed into a salad and used in a variety of other ways – stay tuned for recipes!

 

Ingredients
10 cups water, divided
1 cup sugar (or to taste, but with the combination of tart hibiscus and sour lime you’ll definitely need to sweeten up this drink a bit!)
1½ cup dry hibiscus flowers
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I prefer the small sour Mexican or key limes)

Preparation

  1. Boil sugar and hibiscus flowers with 4 cups of water on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. It should reduce slightly and become slightly thicker in consistency.
  2. Strain the concentrate into a large pitcher. Reserve hydrated flowers for a later use.
  3. Stir in remaining 6 cups of water and lime juice.
  4. Chill and serve over plenty of ice. Garnish with fresh lime slice.


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