Labor Day Cocktail with Wild Hibiscus

Even though we don’t let go of summer too quickly here in the tropics, Labor Day reminds us to take some time for ourselves and family. Today, we’re making a cocktail for the last days of summer (which ends September 23rd) and Labor Day weekend ahead. This clean drink is inspired by the hibiscus flower, which blooms all throughout the the warm months in our area. Wild Hibiscus has been gracious with giving us some of their products to try. I definitely see some future cocktails I would like to use these clean ingredients in again.

With the help of Wild Hibiscus, we will be making an alternative version of the “Roses For Laura” cocktail. This is a recipe from the Wild Hibiscus website submitted by Francesco Desideri of the Florian Caffe in New York City.

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

• 2 oz. Bacardi Rum
• 1 dropper Rose + Hibiscus Flower Extract
• 2 oz. peach nectar or puree
• 3 oz. cranberry juice
• 2 cherries (Fabbri Amarena cherries if you can source)
• 1 Wild Hibiscus flower

Directions

Muddle the cherries in the serving glass. Blend all the liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Garnish with the hibiscus flower on top.

Overall, we have enjoyed what these flowers and extracts have added to our drinks. I see many uses for the for the color and flavor extracts (which by the way have a nice dose of antioxidants) because they work great at coloring food and drinks but with ZERO guilt. The blue can be strong depending on how much you want to use but it never stains your tongue, unlike “Blue No.2”. I’d love to use the salt in a cocktail or sprinkled over this organic chocolate obsession recipe. Wild Hibiscus also sent over a box of their Butterfly Pea Flower tea called Heart-Tee Blue Tea. This herbal tea can be brewed by itself or mixed with lemon; this causes a natural pH reaction turning the tea purplish pink. The pack of goodies also included hibiscus salt flakes; I can’t wait to use that in a healthy appetizer or sprinkled over this organic chocolate obsession recipe.