Last Updated on October 6, 2022 by The Noms
A flowery hibiscus simple syrup perfect for cocktails!
In the summer, we do lots of drinking on the patio by our swimming pool. We love to entertain out by the pool, sipping on cocktails and enjoying a little socializing with friends. Of course any good party has to have good decor, and we always decorate our pool deck with lots of beautiful hibiscus plants which give the pool deck a tropical feel with lots of beautiful flowers.
Hibiscus Simple Syrup
Of course these beautiful flowers also can be used to make a delicious hibiscus simple syrup. You can use Hibiscus Tea
if you don’t have flowers that can be used in cocktails or sodas. We prefer to use dried petals in this recipe, as it is easier to work with, and the color and flavor is more intense than using fresh petals.
You can use fresh petals, but know that the infusion time is more, as is the color will be hit or miss, with it either being lighter or darker depending on what color petal you use. We used a
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How to Make Hibiscus Simple Syrup?
This simple syrup is easy to make, but takes some time if you want to dry your own flower petals before making the hibiscus simple syrup. It is also important to note that the color of the syrup can vary greatly depending on the color of the flowers used to make the syrup. We tried some blood red flowers and our syrup came out almost black!
The hibiscus syrup is sweet (duh, simple syrup) but with a floral cranberry note, berries and almost a citrusy bite from the dried hibiscus petals. When used in drinks it can bring a subtle tangy flavor and a bold rich color. Great in cocktails and mocktails alike.
Right away when infusing the hibiscus starts to cast a red color in the water right when adding the petals. Hibiscus has been used with beets in natural food dye and it is such a bright red color.
We heat the syrup until it boils, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then pull off the heat. Add the dried hibiscus petals and steep for at least 15 minutes. This was our desired color in that time, but you can go as long as an hour if you want a richer and more flavorful syrup with a darker color.
How Do You Store Hibiscus Syrup?
Once the petals are strained out, we store it either in a mason jar or a swing top bottle. The swing top bottles have a stopper to keep the syrup air tight, and it does keep longer than even in a mason jar. It stays well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
What Is Hibiscus?
Hibiscus is a flower originating from Asia and the Pacific Islands. The flowers are dried and made into tea, which can be steeped as hot tea, or iced tea.
Where To Find Dried Hibiscus
Hibiscus can usually be found in teabags at grocery stores. We bought a bag of dried petals, and they will keep for a long time.
Can Simple Syrups go bad?
They can get moldy if they sit too long. We encourage you to store it in the fridge in an airtight container but for no more than two weeks. We actually have a whole shelf of simple syrups in our fridge at any given time!
What Do You Use Hibiscus Simple Syrup For?
- Simple sodas with a tablespoon of the syrup over ice with sparkling water or soda water (almost an Italian soda). Great as a non-alcoholic drink.
- Add to cocktails instead of regular simple syrup for a floral flavor, or in tropical cocktails. Think fun hibiscus margaritas, hibiscus mojito, Gin & Tonic, or our Hibiscus Salty Dog.
- You can use it for ice creams and dessert, either in the recipe or drizzled on top.
- Stir into iced tea or lemonade.
- Freeze as ice cubes for drinks (cocktails, mocktails and tea alike!)
- Give bottles as gifts to teachers, hostess gifts or Christmas presents!
- Use as a substitute for grenadine syrup as in a Shirley Temple or other cocktails, teas and Holiday punches.
Cheers!
Other Homemade Simple Syrups
- Basil
- Mint
- Fennel
- Peach
- Apple Cider
- Blackberry
- Lemon
- Pine
- Raspberry
- Aronia Berry
- Sage
- Thyme Simple Syrup
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon
- Lilac
Cheers!
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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!
25 cocktails to Celebrate Spring
Other Flower Simple Syrups
- Lilac Simple Syrup – The Domestic Wildflower
- Lavender Simple Syrup
- Orange Blossom Simple Syrup – Maureen Abood
- Chamomile Syrup – Emeril
- Violet Simple Syrup – Feasting at Home
Hibiscus Simple Syrup
A floral simple syrup, make with hibiscus petals.
Ingredients
Hibiscus Simple Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dried hibiscus petals, any color
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Take off heat and add hibiscus petals, let steep for at least 15 minutes.
Strain out petals.
Store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
You can use fresh petals as well, but let there be more time for steeping to leech out the color and flavor.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 94Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 0g
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N
Tuesday 31st of August 2021
Made a beautiful, flavorful syrup, very deep wine-like red in the bottle and a brighter red when poured. The ratio here produces a good flavor and multiplies well. My 4x batch - some for my bar job, some for home - yielded just over 6 cups of syrup.
BONUS: Don't throw out edible flowers after use in syrup - spread across foil to dry, or bake at 180F in 10-min intervals until no longer sticky, and you've got a candied garnish/snack. Candied hibiscus reminds me of fruit leather...
Monica
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
Can we use honey instead of sugar?
The Noms
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
You absolutely can! Cheers!
Jessica Sheely
Thursday 27th of May 2021
I tried this recipe two times with hibiscus from my 5year old plant and both times the syrup had absolutely no flavor. I dried the hibiscus thoroughly and followed the directions yesterday. Then today I tried with fresh (not dried) leaves and again, all I have is purple simple syrup with no floral or tart flavor. It is not as dark as pictures above. The plant I have is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Any idea what could be wrong? I have a huge plant and am intrigued by these flowers and making syrup and tea.
Erin
Sunday 24th of October 2021
@The Noms, the hibiscus “petals” you can buy dried in the store, often in the Latino foods section and sometimes called jamaica (hamayka) or roselle or red sorrel, are from the hibiscus sabdariffa plant. What is most commonly harvested and dried are actually the calyxes - what’s left surrounding the seed pod after the flower fades and falls off. All parts of the plant are edible. I’ve read that all parts of the Hibiscus Rosa sinensis are also edible - leaves, flowers, etc, but as far as tea brewing, etc, I’ve only ever purchased or grown the sabdariffa species. They have pale yellow flowers and make a tart, healthy bright red drink.
The Noms
Saturday 29th of May 2021
Hi Jessica, I wonder if it's just the hibiscus variety that you have. Have you tried to make tea with the dried or fresh petals? If so, does it make a flavor then? I am just as stumped as you, as we have tried the one that we have at home with no issue, as well as other kinds (fresh and dried) and haven't had a problem. I am so sorry I don't have more ideas for you. Leah
Chrissie
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
I just made this hibiscus syrup from fresh flowers growing on my 15-year old hibiscus plant that spends its summers outdoors and winters indoors at my Canadian home. It is delicious! My flowers were a deep red, but the syrup is a very dark but lovely shade of purple. I used it to flavour a batch of homemade kombucha (along with raspberries) and I can’t wait to taste that in a couple of days once it has been bottled. Thanks for the recipe, and for the comments about being able to use fresh petals. It worked great for me.
Chrissie
Wednesday 9th of September 2020
@The 'Noms., The kombucha was delicious, but a bit too sweet. In order to get the hibiscus flavour, I needed about 200mLs of the syrup for an 3L batch of brew. So I think next time I make the syrup I will use half the amount of sugar. I’m not worried about it not keeping as long, as I will/freeze whatever I don’t use at the time. Have you tried freezing the syrup?
The 'Noms.
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
Fantastic! I love hearing how everyone has different colored syrup, it's so interesting! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for sharing! Leah
Kross55
Saturday 2nd of May 2020
I think that is important to note that if you are using dried hibiscus flowers it is important to soak them in cold water briefly before adding them to the boiling water, this prevents the petals from burning and decreases the chance of making your syrup bitter:)
The 'Noms.
Monday 4th of May 2020
That's a great tip, and one we had never thought of! We will have to try it!