Hibiscus-Ginger Sparkler Recipe

by:Kate McMillan   |   3 min read

Summary:

Cheers to a beautiful and flavorful zero-proof cocktail. Hibiscus is a flowering plant and its tea is delicious and so produces a beautiful bright pink hue. This one is lovely served in a glass pitcher and will be enjoyed by both kids and adults. Ginger simple syrup complements this tea and adds a really nice zing of flavor. Make sure you cool the tea completely before you make the mocktails for best results.

Ingredients:

• 3 hibiscus tea bags
• 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces ginger simple syrup
• 4 ounces seltzer water
• Sliced lemons for garnish

Ginger Simple Syrup Ingredients:

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ⅓ cup fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

Directions:

1. To make the ginger simple syrup, place the sugar, water and ginger root in a small saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium heat and swirl a few times, cooking until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and steep for 30 minutes. Strain the syrup, discarding the ginger.
2. Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and add the tea bags. Turn the heat off and let it steep for 20 minutes.
3. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the hibiscus tea, lemon juice and ginger simple syrup. Shake vigorously and then pour into two cocktail glasses filled with ice. Top each with 2 ounces of seltzer water. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve.

Notes:
If your cocktail shaker is small, mix one mocktail (half of all ingredients) at a time. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, use a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.

You can make the ginger simple syrup up to a week in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator.

This may seem like a lot of ginger, but it takes a lot to flavor the syrup. The longer it steeps, the more flavor you will get. Make a big batch of this cocktail by tripling the recipe and storing it in a pitcher in the refrigerator. Don’t add the seltzer water until you are ready to serve.