Xarope de Jamaica

Tags

elvis, grenadine, hibiscus, mandarin, ward 8, ward eight

Hibiscus, or Jamaica

I working in a Elvis theme restaurant, with Tex-Mex cuisine.
Searching for mexican influences to make cocktail I found Jamaica water, a hibiscus tea.

Since my attempts to make grenadine and the industrial grenadine syrups I have tasted  weren’t color-taste satisfactory I decided to make just a hibiscus syrup.

Xarope de Jamaica 

• 16oz water
• 16oz sugar
• 4oz dried hibiscus flower

Boil the water, infuse the dried flowers for some minutes, strain, mix with the sugar.
May add ½oz vodka to keep it better.

Easy, simple and bright red.

Not syrup-y and jelly flavored artificial “grenadines”, yet tart like real pomegranate grenadine, but more colorfull!

Since we’re in winter here, it is mandarin season! Let’s mix it together!

not my best photo, but a damn tasty cocktail.

Jacamaica 8 (or the Hearthbreak Hotel)

• 2oz Jim Beam
• ½oz lemon juice
• ½ mandarin
• ½oz xarope de jamaica.

Muddle mandarin, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Maybe strained into a collins glass and topped with soda!

This is tart and refreshing with hints of mandarin and a beautiful color. Just a spin on the Ward 8 cocktail.

Saúde!