Strawberry Hibiscus Limeade

By Millie Peartree

Updated June 15, 2022

Strawberry Hibiscus Limeade
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus chilling and freezing
Rating
4(264)
Comments
Read comments

Red drinks are central to Juneteenth celebrations, as the color red represents the blood shed by enslaved people. Strawberry soda is commonly served, but this punch builds on that tradition, adding hibiscus, lime juice and mint to a strawberry base. It’s a great way to use up slightly overripe strawberries. (It’s better to use overripe berries than underripe ones, since underripe berries can have bitter notes.) The pineapple juice ice cubes are a little extra effort, but they melt right into the drink, changing its flavor as you drink it. At first, it’s good. Over time, it’s incredible.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • Pineapple juice
  • 2sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked and stems discarded
  • 2hibiscus tea bags or ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
  • ¼cup fresh lime juice
  • ½pound fresh strawberries, hulled
  • ½cup store-bought hibiscus syrup or homemade simple syrup
  • Fresh strawberries, lime slices and fresh mint leaves, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    The night before serving, make the pineapple ice cubes: Pour pineapple juice into an ice cube tray, and allow to freeze overnight.

  2. Step 2

    To a large pot, add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. (Alternatively, you can boil the water in a tea kettle.)

  3. Step 3

    Add the mint leaves to a pitcher, and muddle them to release oils. To the pitcher, add the tea bags, boiling water and lime juice. Stir to combine, then steep for 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    While the tea steeps, purée strawberries in a blender. (You should have about 1 cup purée.)

  5. Step 5

    Add strawberry purée and hibiscus syrup to the pitcher, stir and refrigerate until ready to use.

  6. Step 6

    Add pineapple ice cubes, if using, to each glass, and pour limeade over. Serve garnished with fresh strawberries, lime slices and mint.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
264 user ratings
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Comments

Donna

This was delicious and the pineapple ice cubes were such a good addition. My only recommendation is to strain the strawberry purée if you’re picky about seeds; you can’t really feel them, but you can see them in the finished drink. Also pretty darn good with a shot of rum or tequila. Some comments regarding the quality of the recipe writing seem to disregard multiple people in the editing process and look a lot like gatekeeping. Thanks to Chef Peartree for a lovely drink.

Sfrupe

Sounds lovely. Hibiscus tea can steep cold for 8-10 hours - though I don't find it is better traditional hot water steeping. I would add the lime juice after steeping. I add various garden herbs (usually mint or verbena, and sometimes dried lime and lemon slices) - shall definitely try adding strawberry puree next time. I sweeten my hibiscus tea with agave or honey. I think I would serve this with sparkling water to stretch it out and decrease the sugary-ness.

K

I usually avoid fresh mint but so glad I ignored my usual instincts. The muddled fresh mint added nice depth of flavor. I had to strain the mixture before pouring into the glass as the strawberry purée was not liquified enough and was too chunky, but the strawberry flavor still came through. Don’t leave out the pineapple juice ice cubes. They are the perfect finishing touch.

Newlywed KM

I like it w/o rum & with…also made initially w/o the strawberries, and that version is fairly tasty too! A summer keeper!

Suzanne

I made this for a summer bbq and it was a huge hit. For adults you can add prosecco or if it tastes too much "like pollen" (as the 12 year old put it) splash in some strawberry mineral water. Lots of options here-amazingly good. Also keep frozen strawberries on hand and thaw out what you need for the purée-easy peasy.

Lela

Delicious! Even better with a little club soda, but gin didn’t work. Excellent mocktail!

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