Hibiscus Syrup

Ingredients:

• • 1 medium lemon

  • 2 ½ cups water

  • 1 cups dried hibiscus flowers

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 tablespoons coriander seed

  • 2 cups unrefined cane sugar

Instructions:

Prepare the lemon.

Finely grate the lemon's peel into a small bowl, avoiding the bitter white pith. Then, slice the lemon in half crosswise, and squeeze its juice into a separate bowl. Leave them on the counter while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Prepare the hibiscus infusion.

Pour the water into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, and immediately stir in the hibiscus, bay leaves, grated lemon peel, and coriander seed. Let the herbs steep in the hot water until. it cools to room temperature.

Prepare the syrup.

Strain the infusion through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, discarding the spent herbs. Place the saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat, and then stir in the sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves fully, and then turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice.

Bottling and storing the syrup.

Pour the syrup into a clean jar or flip-top bottle. Allow it to cool completely, and then transfer it to the fridge where it will keep about 6 months.

Variations:

Use honey instead. While unrefined cane sugar is a relatively mineral-rich sweetener and excellent for preserving this syrup, you can also use honey, too. Decrease the water to 1 ¾ cups and add 1 ½ cups honey. An herbal honey syrup typically lasts only about 3 months, so you'll need to use it more quickly than a sugar-based syrup.

If you prefer to completely avoid sugar, simply make this as an infusion and drink it within three days as you would a tea.

Make a straight hibiscus syrup by skipping the bay, lemon, and coriander. Keep in mind that, without the lemon, it may not last quite as long.

Blend hibiscus with other herbs like rose, hawthorn, cardamom, black pepper, or lemongrass.

Source: nourishedkitchen.com