Hibiscus Lime Daiquiri Spritz in glazzes with lime and flowers

I am a water girl. You know, the one who always says, “I’ll have water, thanks.” Maybe it’s because my dad used to offer us a dollar if we chose water instead of a soft drink or tea at restaurants. Did your parents do that, too? Now I feel like I’m paying myself by drinking water. I love water. I’ve had the same bright yellow water bottle for years and it by now, it has become an extension of myself. But, I have a few exceptions to being a water girl. First is diet lemonade at Chick-fil-A, Coke at a movie theater with popcorn, rootbeer with pizza and the summertime. When it is hot as you know what outside, I want just about any refreshing, cold drink. Even better if it has bubbles. Water is great, but there is something wonderful about a special summertime drink. You already know I love hibiscus tea, but add just a few extra ingredients and some bubbles to make this Hibiscus Lime Daiquiri Spritz. You will have the best sweet, tart, fizzy summer cocktail or mocktail.

The ingredient list

This recipe couldn’t be easier and, even better, you don’t have to make up the drinks all at once. We are going to start with a hibiscus lime syrup as our drink base. You will need some ginger, lime juice, hibiscus flowers or tea bags, sugar and water. To get your syrup going, in a small pot add an inch of ginger that has been peeled and cut into two pieces. The best method for peeling ginger is scraping with a spoon. A knife or vegetable peeler removes more than just the skin and can be difficult to get in the crevices. Just use the side of a spoon, hold your ginger firmly, and scrape the skin toward you. For this recipe, we don’t need perfection, so don’t worry if there is still a little bit of skin remaining. Before juicing your limes, go ahead and zest the lime for later. Add lime juice, hibiscus flowers, sugar and water to your small pot, along with the ginger. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Allow it to boil for one minute, then remove from the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. We want all that flavor.

Hibiscus Lime Syrup

If you have never made simple syrup before, this is one of my favorite things to have on hand. I keep a bottle of plain simple syrup, which is just sugar and water, in my fridge all the time. It’s perfect to sweeten just about anything and not worry about grainy sugar at the bottom. You can also find a different flavor of syrup in the fridge just about every week. It makes cocktails, mocktails, or quick juices for one super easy to make. This sugary syrup is made to be a flavor concentrate, so a little goes a long way. Once our syrup has steeped for at least 30 minutes, simply strain it into an airtight container. Glass jars are perfect for this! I know you have a stash too, just waiting to be used for something. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and pull it out to mix up a drink in seconds.

Making a daiquiri

When you think daiquiri, you probably think those frozen things in tall glasses served at the beach or in drive-thrus in New Orleans. But really, a daiquiri is just simple syrup and rum. We are making ours extra special with the ginger, hibiscus and lime and the spritz come courtesy of the seltzer water. I really love recipes that don’t require much or any special equipment and for this one, you don’t need anything other than a glass and something to stir. Maybe something to measure, or just measure with your heart. That’s fine, too. I’m sure a cocktail shaker would be great to mix this drink up, but we are keeping things simple. Here is what you need to do to make this daiquiri. Fill your glass with ice, add 3 ounces of seltzer water, 1.5 ounces of the hibiscus lime syrup and 1.5 ounces of rum, in that order. Flor de Caña is made in Nicaragua, so I’m a little biased. It’s the best, if you can find it. Using a spoon or metal straw or whatever you can find, give your drink a little stir and add a few lime slices if you want to feel fancy. To make it a mocktail, simply omit the rum, increase the syrup to 2 ounces and add 4 ounces of seltzer water. That’s it. You don’t have to make this all at once. You can make a batch for a fun summertime drink at your next cookout or pool party or, keep it in the fridge just for yourself.

Hibiscus Lime Daiquiri Spritz in a person's hand with a drink, lime and ginger in the background

If you are ready to mix up your own Hibiscus Lime Daiquiri Spritz or make a kid-friendly mocktail, this is what you need to know…