Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Cooler)

Rinse the dried hibiscus flowers quickly under cold water to wash off any dust. Bring 500 ml of water to a boil and add the flowers.

Turn off the heat, cover, and let the flowers steep for 10 minutes, until the water is a very dark, opaque red and the flowers have softened.

💡 Steep, don't boil hard for long. A short off-heat infusion pulls the bright, tart colour and flavour; a long hard boil drags out more of the woody, bitter tannins from the flowers.

Strain the concentrate into a jug, pressing the flowers to extract all the liquid, then discard the spent flowers. Stir in the sugar while the concentrate is still warm so it dissolves fully.

Add the remaining 1.5 L of cold water and the lime juice if using. Taste and balance — it should be tart and refreshing, not syrupy. Add more water to soften it or more sugar to round it.

Chill thoroughly and serve over ice. It keeps for several days in the fridge and only gets better as the flavour settles.