You've likely seen them in the more authentic Mexican restaurants around town, and certainly if you've traveled to Mexico: Giant ribbed jars—called vitroleros—full of brilliantly colored aguas frescas. I had my heart set on making one in particular, the purple-hued beauty known as agua de jamaica after finding a bag of dried hibiscus flowers lurking in the back of my pantry.

I've seen palm-sized, brilliantly colored hibiscus flowers blooming in gardens on recent walks around the neighborhood, but the flowers that are dried for agua fresca are from a specific variety, Hibiscus sabdariffa. The dried blossoms in my pantry were originally part of a holiday punch-making kit from Three Sisters Nixtamal, and there were enough left for a half-gallon batch of agua fresca.

The basic idea is to steep the dried flowers to make a concentrated "tea" that can then be sweetened—the concentrate is quite tart on its own—and served as is over ice or, as I do, combined with a splash of soda and simple syrup. The drink is high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, and is used in many cultures to aid in lowering blood pressure, easing urinary tract infections and for liver and kidney health. Plus it's delicious!

I checked with Wendy Downing, co-owner of Three Sisters Nixtamal, and she has dried hibiscus flowers at their shop, and they can also be found at some Mexican and ethnic groceries.

Enjoy!

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Cooler)

2 c. dried hibiscus flowers
3/4 c. granulated sugar (more if desired)
6 c. water
Ice
Garnishes (see below)

Rinse and drain the dried hibiscus flowers in a large colander.

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the flowers and cover tightly with a lid. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes.

Strain hibiscus water into a pitcher and discard flowers. Add sugar and stir. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Taste tea, and add more sugar or dilute with water to your liking.

Ladle into a tall glass filled with ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves or lime slices (optional).

Photo of Hibiscus sabdariffa from Wikipedia.

My neighbors Bill and Jen have been a driving force behind many of my culinary explorations, with their extensive garden and Bill's consuming interest in fermentation. Jen, too, comes from a long line of picklers and preservers—check out her great-grandmother's refrigerator pickles recipe—and Bill turned me on to homemade shrubs like his cantaloupe and mint shrub.

Last year he gave me a bushel of purple shiso to play with, which led me to Andrea Nguyen's inspiring website, Viet World Kitchen, about all things Vietnamese—her Vietnamese Food Any Day cookbook has changed my cooking on a basic level—and her recipe for Vietnamese Shiso (Tia To) Shrub. I made several batches and we enjoyed them all summer long.

This year, just as the early July heat wave was hitting the Northwest with a vengeance, our Stoneboat Farm CSA was offering fennel as part of the share. Fennel's long wavy fronds are normally a source of annoyance since they've gone straight to the compost bin, but this time I asked my friend Melinda if there was a use for them. "Fennel fronds?!?" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the thought. "Candied fennel! Syrup! Pesto!"

Okay, then—I now feel badly about dumping them all these years. But no more!

The pesto was made and enjoyed with a salmon fillet we grilled a couple of days later, and I made a syrup from the leftover stalks. It was good, but wasn't thrilling…until my son mentioned he'd made a soda with some of the syrup and had added a splash of tarragon vinegar to make it sing. And did it ever!

Don't get me wrong, I'm still in love with Andrea's shiso drinking vinegar, but this one may be the hit of this summer's beverage bar.

Fennel-Tarragon Drinking Vinegar

4 c. fennel fronds, sliced in 3" lengths
6 c. water
6 c. sugar
2 c. tarragon vinegar (see below)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine water, sugar and fennel fronds. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Cover pan and allow to steep for 2-3 hours until syrup cools. Add vinegar and stir. Bottle and store in refrigerator (makes about two quarts); will keep for several weeks.

To make a beverage, fill an 8 oz. drinking glass with ice. Add 1 oz. drinking vinegar. Fill with club soda. Stir, adding more syrup or soda to taste. Garnish with lemon, mint, etc., if desired.

Tarragon Vinegar

Fresh tarragon
White wine vinegar

Fill a couple of pint jars with tarragon sprigs—feel free to pack them in, but not too tightly; you need room for the vinegar, after all! Fill with vinegar to within 1/2" of rim. Place tight-fitting lid on the jar and store in a cool, dark place (like a basement) for 2 weeks. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain out the sprigs. Bottle (I save my empty vinegar bottles for just this purpose) and store in refrigerator.