Made with dried hibiscus flowers, hibiscus syrup is fresh and tart! With a cranberry-like flavour, and hints of garden strawberries, it's a gorgeous way to add flavour and colour to drinks. Make a hibiscus sour, stir some into a margarita, or make a quick hibiscus lemonade with some lemon juice, syrup, and sparkling water.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Hibiscus: this can be dried hibiscus flowers (you can buy them as hibiscus tea) or hibiscus tea bags, whatever is easier to find.
- Sugar: use white or cane sugar.
- Cinnamon: star anise and cloves are a nice alternative to cinnamon sticks. Ground cinnamon can't be used for this recipe.
Method
Step 1: add all of the ingredients to a saucepan.
Step 2: bring the mixture to a low boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Step 3: let the syrup steep for 30 minutes off the heat.
Step 4: transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge.
Top Tips
- Use tea: hibiscus is generally found in teabag form at most grocery stores. You can also sometimes buy whole dried hibiscus flowers in Mexican or Caribbean shops.
- Sterilize the jar: to make your syrup last longer, sterilize the glass jar to store it in. Running it through the dishwasher is usually enough, but you can also use the oven method if you're using a canning jar.
- Add extras: to make a more complex hibiscus syrup, you can use vanilla sugar as the base, or add some vanilla to the mix. Try adding additional spices like cardamom or a little orange peel, too.
FAQ
What are the uses of hibiscus syrup?
Use your syrup as a cake soak, to add to cocktails or mocktails, to make a simple drink with (simply top with water) or even mixed into frosting or whipped cream.
What is hibiscus syrup made of?
Hibiscus syrup is made with just dried hibiscus blossoms, water, sugar, and any flavour additions, like cinnamon or vanilla.
What does hibiscus taste like?
Hibiscus is quite sour and fruity, a little bit like cranberries.
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Hibiscus Syrup
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers or 4 hibiscus tea bags
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove pot from heat and let syrup steep for 30 minutes.Â1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers, 2 cinnamon sticks
- Pass syrup through a sieve to remove the hibiscus and cinnamon. Store in a tightly-sealed container in the fridge for up to a month.