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Summer drinks

Ice-cold hibiscus (roselle) juice

Published: 07.05.2022 ยป Last updated: 08.22.2022

Inspired by a drink I first encountered at a Museum Cafe back in 2014, this iced cranberry-tasting drink is made by boiling and steeping calyces (sepals) of the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flower.

Ice-cold hibiscus (roselle) brew

The botanical name of the plant is right there in the first paragraph to highlight that the drink is made from a specific variety of hibiscus. That means you can’t go into your garden, pluck the flowers off your ornamental hibiscus and use them to make this drink.

I was introduced to hibiscus juice in the most unlikely place. It was our first afternoon in Bacolod City in 2014 and we were touring the museum. The suffocating heat left us feeling dehydrated, our parched mouths and throats led us to theย Museum Cafeย (or did our host suggest that we go there? I canโ€™t rememberโ€ฆ) and someone recommended hibiscus juice.

The drink was lovely. Sweet and tangy, and the color was simply invigorating. And it intrigued me endlessly that it was made from hibiscus which we know in the Philippines as gumamela. But because I knew that the gumamela flowers growing in our garden were not edible, I had to read up and that was how I learned that hibiscus drink is made from the sepals, not petals, of the roselle flower.

Dried calyces (sepals) of the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flower
Dried calyces (sepals) of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flowers

The popular belief is that hibiscus brew originated in Africa and was brought to America by enslaved Africans. Roselle blooms around Christmas time in Africa. As the drink spread, hibiscus brew became a popular Christmas drink in the Caribbean and Latin America. Roselle is also made into agua fresca in Mexico. In Panama, spices like ginger, cloves and cardamon are added to the drink.

While hibiscus drink may be new to the Philippines (or to me, at least) in 2014, it has long been served in Thailand where it is sweetened to the max and mixed with ice. It is also a popular drink in Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Calyces (sepals) of the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flower steeping in hot water

The basic drink is simple enough to make. You boil the sepals, leave them to steep until cool, then you stir in sugar until dissolved. Drop ice into glasses, pour in the strained brew and enjoy.

Ice-cold hibiscus (roselle) juice

Connie Veneracion
Many people call the drink hibiscus tea but I am loathe to give it that name because tea comes from a totally different plant. This is a tisane, essentially, and not tea.
Ice-cold hibiscus (roselle) brew
Print Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute min
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 11 minutes mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 2 tall glasses

Ingredients
  

  • 8 to 10 buds dried hibiscus
  • sugar - to taste
  • ice

Instructions
 

  • Place the dried hibiscus in a pot. Add two cups of water. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat. Leave to cool and infuse for about 20 minutes.
  • Add sugar to taste.
  • Drop ice into glasses and pour in the strained brew.
Print Pin Recipe
Keyword Hibiscus (Roselle)

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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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