How beautiful is this cocktail? Hibiscus creates the most vibrant color. As you’ll notice, the two drinks in the photos have slightly different colors on top and I couldn’t tell you why. They were both made exactly the same way, but I kind of love it. Gives them a very organic look.
Hibiscus isn’t just pretty to look at, it has a lovely tart flavor. A perfect floral and tart combination.
One of my favorite flavors to pair with hibiscus is orange. I did so subtly in my Hibiscus Paloma, but that cocktail was heavier on the grapefruit than orange. It also incorporated hibiscus by infusing the tequila, instead of like this recipe, where I made hibiscus syrup. This Hibiscus Orange Rum Cocktail is sweeter than my Hibiscus Paloma, because the homemade simple syrups balance out all of tartness.
If you’re not sure whether it’s worth buying a bag of dried hibiscus flowers, I’d say it’s 100% worth it. (Sure, I’m a little biased 😉) Really though, you can use dried hisbiscus flowers for cocktails, teas, baking, decorations on food and baked goods, food coloring etc. It’s a really versatile ingredient.
Hibiscus Orange Rum Cocktail
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
- 2 oz dark rum
- .5 oz hibiscus simple syrup, recipe below
- .5 oz orange simple syrup, recipe below
- 2 oz freshly squeeze orange juice (from oranges, not the carton of juice)
- club soda
Syrup Directions:
Hibiscus Simple Syrup
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2  cup dried hibiscus flowersÂ
- 1 cup white sugar
Bring everything to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, allow to boil another 30 seconds then take off the heat and allow to cool completely before straining out the hibiscus flowers. Store in a fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Orange Simple Syrup
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup white sugar
- the peels of 2 oranges
- 1 tbs freshly-squeezed orange juice
Bring everything to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, allow to boil another 30 seconds then take off the heat, remove orange peels and allow to cool completely before using. Store in a fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Hibiscus Orange Rum Cocktail Directions:
Pour ice and all ingredients, except club soda, in a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds. Pour into a glass filled halfway with ice cubes, top off with club soda-roughly 1-2 ounces.
