Sal Castaneda’s Hibiscus Margarita Recipe
This recent tradition of sipping Hibiscus margaritas started with a family trip to Puerto Vallarta where the bartender made batches of these for us on a hot day. When I got home I took his recipe and started pleasing my family and friends with it. It’s basically a traditional margarita with Hibiscus flower syrup added to give the margarita a deep purple color and an exotic taste. You can find dried Hibiscus flowers at tea shops or at Mexican food stores.
Hibiscus Margarita
Ingredients
2 ounces of Tequila (I use silver Tequila)
1/2 ounce of Cointreau or triple sec
1 ounce of hibiscus syrup (see recipe below)
1 ounce of fresh lime juice
Directions
The recipe is simple. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a "rocks" margarita glass rimmed with salt or Tajín (optional). Garnish with a fresh lime wedge. If you find the recipe is too sweet just lessen the amount of syrup by a little to suit your taste.
Hibiscus syrup
Ingredients
2 cups of dried hibiscus flowers
4 cups of water
2 cups of cane sugar
Lemon zest (optional)
Directions
Combine ingredients in small pot or sauce pan and bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a glass container and let cool in the refrigerator.