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Hibiscus Spritz

Crimson, tart, floral — the prettiest glass on the table, alcohol or not.

How to order it: Hibiscus tea concentrate, lime, sparkling water, dramatic garnish.

Flavor profile

Sweetness6
Bitterness2
Strength0
Freshness9
Richness1
Sparkle9
Daring6

The recipe

  • 2 oz strong hibiscus tea, chilled
  • ½ oz lime juice
  • ½ oz simple syrup
  • Top with sparkling water
  • Wine glass; dramatic garnish
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The story

Hibiscus has been a drink far longer than it has been a garnish. West Africa steeps the dried calyces into bissap; the Caribbean pours sorrel at Christmas; Mexico chills agua de jamaica by the jarful — the same crimson flower, claimed by half the warm world. The spritz treatment is the recent twist: take that tart, cranberry-floral infusion and frame it the Italian way, with bubbles, ice, and the unhurried theatre of aperitivo hour. It arrived just as the zero-proof movement went looking for drinks with genuine heritage rather than clever subtractions, and hibiscus delivered — color no dye can fake, acidity no citrus quite matches, centuries of precedent. The prettiest glass on the table holds several passports.

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