This tasty and refreshing drink is made with dried hibiscus flowers, also known as roselle or Jamaican sorrel. Essentially, it’s an herbal iced tea, but perhaps the most beautiful one you’ve ever had, with a brilliant magenta color extracted from the flowers. I like to soak the flowers overnight, as is traditional in my family, because I feel this extracts more of the subtle, tart, berrylike flavor. Once you’re done, instead of discarding the hibiscus flowers, save them to snack on. They’ll be a little sweet, and I think they’re delicious. Just be sure to keep them refrigerated.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 cups

　　1 cup dried hibiscus flowers

　　4 cups water

　　1/3 cup sugar, or more if needed

　　

Step 1

Rinse the flowers in cold water and drain thoroughly. Put them in a saucepan, cover with the water, and let steep for at least 4 hours or overnight.

　　

Step 2

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add water to bring the volume up to 4 cups. If the flavor is too intense, add more water as needed. You can also add a little more sugar if you like.

　　

Step 3

Refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve as is or over ice.

　　

Step 4

To make a concentrate, double the amount of hibiscus, eliminate the sugar, and cook the mixture down until the liquid is reduced to one-third. This will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. To make a beverage, simply put about 1/4 cup of the concentrate in a glass, add about 1 cup water, and sweeten with sugar to taste. Feel free to adjust these amounts to fit your taste.

　　Reprinted with permission from Paletas, Authentic Recipes For Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice, & Aguas Frescas, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. As the country's most authoritative voice on Mexican sweets, FANY GERSON has been featured in the New York Times, Gourmet, Fine Cooking, Daily Candy, Village Voice, NY Daily News, Time Out magazine, and New York magazine, among other publications. She recently launched the acclaimed La Newyorkina, a Mexican frozen treats and sweets business that began with her love for paletas. A graduate of the culinary Institute of America, Fany has worked in a range of fine-dining kitchens around the world. Visit www.lanewyorkina.com for more information.