Sweet Hibiscus Martinis

By Aurora Ibarra

TGIF!

Time to kick back at the end of the week and enjoy a long deserved drink. In an attempt to make things a bit healthier, I made hibiscus martinis! Replacing all the fake sugary stuff with real iced tea, lemon and agave nectar. Dust of your martini shaker this weekend and enjoy these sweet drinks — salud!

Cook Time: 10 minutes (to make the tea)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Yields: about 2 martinis

Ingredients:

For the Hisbiscus Iced Tea:

• 6 cups of water
• 1/2 cup muscavado sugar
• 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup hibiscus flowers

For the Martinis:

• Good quality vodka
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar

Directions:

1. Bring two cups of water and the sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, grate the lemon and add the zest to the water. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, turn off the heat and add the hibiscus flowers. Let it steep for 10 minutes (at least).
2. Take a big pitcher and add 2 cups of ice cubes and the remaining 4 cups of water. Add the juice from the zested lemon. Put a big strainer on top and pour the concentrated hibiscus tea. Mix until everything is combined.
3. To make the martinis, (this should be enough for two), fill a martini shaker with ice cubes, add 2 shots of good quality vodka, a tablespoon of agave (or more depending on your sweet tooth), the juice of half a lemon, and 2 cups of hibiscus iced tea. Shake it up and enjoy!