Strawberry Hibiscus Iced Tea

If you’ve never tried the bright pink concoction that is hibiscus iced tea, you’re depriving yourself. Well, that might be a tad dramatic, but you should definitely do yourself a favour and give it a try. Its deep red colour might make it the most fun non-alcoholic recipe to ever hit my blog.

Hibiscus iced tea is made from steeping dried hibiscus petals in water. It’s an herbal tea (caffeine-free) that has tons of health benefits including possibly lowering blood pressure, among many others.  Though if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding it’s cautioned that you not drink hibiscus iced tea.

In this recipe, I steep my tea in cold water overnight on the kitchen countertop rather than the traditional boiling water technique we usually use for tea. 

Hibiscus iced tea can be found all over the world but you can most often find dried flor de Jamaica (dried hibiscus) at your favourite Mexican cantinas. I get mine from a local taco house and Mexican market. Though it’ll sometimes be labelled Jamaica (pronounced hah-my-ka in Spanish). 

Look out for “flor de Jamaica” next time you stop for your favourite tacos. 

Adding Strawberry Basil Syrup to the Iced Tea

I love summer cocktails with basil, so I wanted to make a non-alcoholic drink that I could sip all summer long. And serve to friends who want to sip spirit-free. 

This caffeine and alcohol-free drink is super easy to make and gets rave reviews from anyone who has tried it.

When I made some strawberry basil syrup a few weeks ago to make strawberry basil martinis, I used the leftover syrup to replace standard simple syrup to sweeten my hibiscus iced tea.

Strawberry Hibiscus Iced Tea

Course: DrinkCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Steep Time

20

hours

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of dried hibiscus

• 4 cups filtered water

• 1 oz fresh lime juice

• ¼ – ½  cup strawberry basil syrup

Directions

• In a large container with a lid, add the water and dried hibiscus. Steep overnight (max 24 hours) on the counter or in the fridge.
• The next day, strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer.
• Add the fresh lime juice and strawberry basil syrup to taste, adjusting the measurements to your personal taste. Stir and serve iced tea over a generous glass of ice. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

• To slightly dilute the strength of this iced tea, serve with plenty of ice or add cold filtered water.

Do you love sipping iced tea in the summer? Let me know in the comments below.

If you make this strawberry basil hibiscus iced tea, take a picture and tag me on Instagram @lilymuffinsblog. I’ll be sure to like and comment!