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This strawberry hibiscus refresher is sweet, fizzy, and perfect for a hot summer day. It’s a strawberry hibiscus concentrate made with fresh strawberry syrup, tangy lime juice, and hibiscus tea, plus a splash of sparkling water/club soda when served to add a little fizz.
The concentrate makes a fairly large batch that keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week — so you can whip up this refresher whenever you want. And the great thing about using fresh strawberries for the strawberry syrup is that it’s perfect to use up any mushy strawberries you don’t want to eat on their own.
P.S. The cherry version of this refresher is equally good!
Ingredients for this Strawberry Hibiscus Refresher
- Fresh strawberries
- Honey: Highly recommend going with a light, floral honey (like wildflower, clover, etc.) — it pairs better with the strawberries and hibiscus and isn’t overpowering.
- Lime juice
- Loose-leaf hibiscus tea: I get my loose-leaf hibiscus tea from Rishi Tea — linking it here.
- Vanilla paste or ground vanilla
- Kosher salt: Firmly believe that a little salt belongs in anything sweet.
- Sparkling water: Love Gerolsteiner!
Method
Add the sliced strawberries to a large pot, along with the water, honey/cane sugar, vanilla, and salt. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat and let it cook until it starts to gently boil. Gently mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher (by now, the strawberries should be soft), and let them continue to cook down for an additional 5 minutes (keep the heat on medium). The goal here is to evaporate any excess water and concentrate the syrup. Strain over a bowl using a fine mesh sieve — you should have a total of 435g of syrup. Pour the syrup into a large pitcher and set aside. ​
Brew 30g or 1/3 cup loose-leaf hibiscus tea with 2 ½ cups water, steep for 6 minutes, then strain into the pitcher with the strawberry syrup — you should have a total of 495g of tea. Add the lime juice to the pitcher of strawberry syrup and hibiscus and stir well. Pour the concentrate into a large jar with a lid and refrigerate to cool.
To serve, pour 2 parts strawberry hibiscus concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water or club soda — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Gerolsteiner is my go-to for sparkling water.
Serving & Storing
- To serve, pour 2 parts strawberry hibiscus concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water or club soda — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water.Â
- The strawberry hibiscus concentrate keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week — make sure to store it in a sealable glass jar.Â
- Beyond using the strawberry syrup in this refresher, it tastes equally good stirred into an iced matcha latte, drizzled over ice cream, etc. The applications for this are endless!
Can’t wait for you to make this strawberry hibiscus refresher! Please leave a starred rating and review, love hearing your feedback.
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Strawberry Hibiscus Refresher
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
- Category: Drinks
Description
This strawberry hibiscus refresher is sweet, fizzy, and perfect for a hot summer day. It’s a strawberry hibiscus concentrate made with fresh strawberry syrup, tangy lime juice, and hibiscus tea, plus a splash of sparkling water/club soda when served to add a little fizz.
Ingredients
Strawberry Syrup
- 13 oz (370g) strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup (225g) water
- 1/2 cup (145g) honey*
- 1/4 tsp ground vanilla or vanilla paste
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Other IngredientsÂ
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1/2 cup (30g) cup loose-leaf hibiscus tea
- 1/2 cup (4.2 oz or 120g) lime juice
- Sparkling water, like Gerolsteiner
Instructions
- Cook down the strawberry syrup. Add the sliced strawberries to a large pot, along with the water, honey/cane sugar, vanilla, and salt. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat and let it cook until it starts to gently boil. Gently mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher (by now, the strawberries should be soft), and let them continue to cook down for an additional 5 minutes (keep the heat on medium). The goal here is to evaporate any excess water and concentrate the syrup. Strain over a bowl using a fine mesh sieve — you should have a total of 435g of syrup. Pour the syrup into a large pitcher and set aside.Â
- Make the strawberry hibiscus concentrate. Brew 30g or 1/3 cup loose-leaf hibiscus tea with 2 ½ cups water, steep for 6 minutes, then strain into the pitcher with the strawberry syrup — you should have a total of 495g of tea. Add the lime juice to the pitcher of strawberry syrup and hibiscus and stir well. Pour the concentrate into a large jar with a lid and refrigerate to cool.Â
- Serve. Pour 2 parts strawberry hibiscus concentrate over ice, followed by 1 part sparkling water or club soda — a serving is 2/3 cup concentrate and 1/3 cup sparkling water. Gerolsteiner is my go-to for sparkling water.
Notes
*I highly recommend going with a floral honey like wildflower or clover. And feel free to substitute the honey with 1/2 cup (150g) agave or 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar.