Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day or simply drinking alone on your couch, you deserve a good cocktail. When crafting this cocktail, which I’ve cheezily dubbed Love Potion, my goal was to come up with something that was both visually striking and delicious. And I think I did a pretty great job at it! This drink contains muddled strawberries, hibiscus tea, lemon juice, and Empress gin. It’s a lovely balance between fruity, tart, and botanical (which are three of my favorite qualities in a drink).
Let’s talk ingredients
Strawberries and lemons are obviously very easy to come by. Hibiscus tea and Empress gin, however, are a bit harder to find. In truth, you can use any gin you’d like for this drink. That said, Empress has a gorgeous indigo hue and a botanical flavor profile that I think works really well here. Hibiscus tea, while not expensive, might be a little hard to find. If you have a Latin grocery store nearby, there’s a good chance you’ll find it there. Otherwise, there’s always Amazon (plus a wide array of other online retailers).
Since both the muddled strawberries and the hibiscus tea require a bit of prep work, I’ll include more than you’ll need for one cocktail. The drink recipe as a whole will tell you how to make a single drink, but you’ll have extra hibiscus tea and muddled strawberries to make a few more later.
A word on garnishes
In short, go wild with garnishes. I tried out a couple different garnishes. Both featured strawberries cut into little hearts. That was a no brainer. In one version, I slid a lemon slice behind the strawberry heart. I honestly can’t decide which one I like more, so I’ll include pictures of both! I also propped up strawberry slices around the interior base of the glass. I thought it looked super cute. If you decide to follow suit, just make sure to fill the middle with ice so that the strawberries stay in place!
Oh, and as for ice, you can decide whether you want to use cubes or crushed. Crushed ice will result in a lovely light purple layer, while cubes will keep it nice and dark. So follow your heart on this one.
*Note: This blog post contains an Amazon affiliate link. That means that if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll get a small percentage at no cost to you. My hibiscus flowers came from a local grocery store, but I made sure to select a link with a high rating! I also worked with Empress on a sponsored Instagram post. That said, I truly love their gin and have absolutely no qualms about recommending it to you!
Love Potion (Gin, Strawberry and Hibiscus Cocktail)
Ingredients
Muddled Strawberries
- 1 cup Strawberries (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 cup Honey or sugar (I used honey, but sugar or agave are totally fine if you want it to be fully vegan)
- 1/4 cup Water
Hibiscus Tea
- 8 Hibiscus flowers (dried)
- 4 cups Water
Full Cocktail
- 2-3 tbsp Muddled strawberries
- 2 oz Hibiscus tea
- 2 oz Gin
- 1 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed, please)
- Ice
Garnishes
- Strawberries
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Make the hibiscus tea. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then add 8 hibiscus leaves and leave to steep for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a jar or a glass container and set aside to cool. I stuck mine in the fridge to expedite the process, though you can also add ice!
- Now make the muddled strawberries. To do this, heat 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup honey or sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk to combine. When you can no longer see honey or sugar, remove from heat. Add the chopped strawberries to the mix and mash with a blunt object (I used a mortar and pestle).
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of muddled strawberries to a glass (I used a tumbler). Then add ice, followed by 2 oz hibiscus tea. Next, add 2 oz gin and then 1 oz lemon juice.
- Add garnishes and admire the beauty of your drink. I liked seeing a bit of a gradient, so I drank mine as is. Feel free to give yours a little stir, though!
As I mentioned, there’s a bit of prep work for this one. But it comes together quickly, and once the different elements are made, it’s a really easy drink to throw together. If you make this, let me know what you think either in the comments or on Instagram!
And if you’re looking for more Valentine’s Day worthy cocktails, check out this Elderflower Bee’s Knees, this Lychee Empress Sparkler, or this Snowy Paloma!
That’s my kind of drink!
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