The Charm of Wild Hibiscus

Embellish a glass of champagne with a single syrup-drenched wild hibiscus flower to make this Wild Hibiscus Champagne Cocktail. The subtle essence of red fruit layers the champagne with scarlet sweetness as the blossom sparkles and unfolds in response to the bubbles. 

A Champagne Season

It’s champagne season here at My Own Sweet Thyme. My husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary and birthdays within the space of a single month. To celebrate, I am always looking for ways to make each occasion special. In the end I’ve found that nothing says “This occasion is special!” quite like champagne.

Making each occasion unique can be more of a challenge. Even champagne occasions can begin to blur in our memory if our approach to raising a toast is always the same. That’s why I took special note of an article about Champagne Cocktails that ran in the Wall Street Journal some time ago. It offered advice for impressive embellishments that add interest to a simple glass of champagne.

Among the “super-easy champagne drinks” suggested, my favorite was a Hibiscus Royale. This drink added a single wild hibiscus flower to the bottom of a bubbling flute of champagne. There the beautiful syrup-drenched blossom unfolded in response to the caress of the bubbles and infused the champagne with a layered scarlet sweetness along with the subtle essence of red fruit.

Sweet Reflections in a Champagne Cocktail

Eager to recreate that drink at home I shopped for Wild Hibiscus Flowers locally, without luck. Finally, I ordered them on-line but by the time my jar arrived our champagne season had run its course.  I unpacked the box and stowed the small dark jar in my pantry.

Now I find myself in another place and time….remembering that pretty drink. The Wild Hibiscus Flowers are easier to find now, in fact I saw them on the shelf at The Fresh Market the other day, just in time for another champagne season to unfold.

This year those exotic little blossoms will add a unique twist to our anniversary toast. Then, at the bottom of the glass, is an invitation to taste something new (the wild hibiscus flowers themselves are said to taste of rhubarb, a flavor my husband is fond of, and raspberries.) So often it is those sweet and simple touches that can make all the difference. Here’s wishing you an abundance of small treasures in the season to come.

Salud!

Wild Hibiscus Champagne Cocktails

Course: BeverageDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Total time

5

minutes

Embellish a glass of champagne with a syrup-drenched wild hibiscus flower to add a layer of scarlet sweetness to this simple celebration cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of dry champagne

• 1 jar of wild hibiscus flowers in syrup

Directions

• Spoon one wild hibiscus flower into the bottom of a champagne flute arranging it so that the petals are pointed upward.
• Drizzle a few drops to a full teaspoon of syrup from the jar over the hibiscus flower.
• Pour champagne over the hibiscus flower to fill.

Notes

• Recipe source: an article in the Wall Street Journal.