Best Jamaica Flower Cooler Agua De Jamaica Recipes

Hibiscus-Flower Cooler image

Yield Makes 6 Cups

Number Of Ingredients 4

4 cups water
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
2 cups ice

Steps:

In a saucepan bring water to a boil and add flowers. Simmer mixture 5 minutes and remove pan from heat. Let mixture stand 30 minutes to infuse.
Pour infusion through a sieve into a glass pitcher, pressing on solids, and discard flowers. Add sugar and ice, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Chill cooler and stir before serving.

Agua de Jamaica image

Categories Simmer Boil

Yield makes 4 cups

Number Of Ingredients 3

Steps:

Rinse the flowers in cold water and drain thoroughly. Put them in a saucepan, cover with the water, and let steep for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add water to bring the volume up to 4 cups. If the flavor is too intense, add more water as needed. You can also add a little more sugar if you like.
Refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve as is or over ice.
To make a concentrate, double the amount of hibiscus, eliminate the sugar, and cook the mixture down until the liquid is reduced to one-third. This will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. To make a beverage, simply put about 1/4 cup of the concentrate in a glass, add about 1 cup water, and sweeten with sugar to taste. Feel free to adjust these amounts to fit your taste.