Agua de Jamaica con Vainilla
This is a little something I found down in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Way better than Kool-aid, and completely natural!
This is a little something I found down in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Way better than Kool-aid, and completely natural!
- Carbohydrate 75.01820625 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0001575 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.0001575 g
- Saturated Fat 2.625E-05 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (194g)
- Sodium 3.578625 mg
- Sugar 75.01820625 g
- Trans Fat 9.45E-05 g
- Calories 291 calories
Step-by-step
- In large pot, add all ingredients and heat on high.
- When a rolling boil is achieved, remove from heat, strain, and chill in fridge.
- Enjoy.
Dried hibiscus flowers drive this entire infusion, providing both deep ruby color and aggressive tartness. These calyxes require heat to efficiently release their organic acids and water-soluble pigments into the liquid. Boiling the flowers directly with sugar and water dissolves the sweetener rapidly while extracting maximum flavor within minutes. Pure vanilla extract enters the pot alongside the dry components, though volatile aromatic compounds degrade under prolonged boiling. Removing the pot from the heat immediately upon reaching a rolling boil preserves those delicate vanilla notes before they evaporate. Strain the hot liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-safe pitcher to halt the extraction and remove spent plant matter. Chill the strained concentrate in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving over ice. Properly sealed, this beverage keeps fresh for up to five days.
Adapting Sweetness and Flavor Profiles
Granulated white sugar dissolves cleanly without masking the herbal characteristics of the hibiscus. Reduce the sugar quantity by half if a sharper, more astringent profile is preferred. Substitute unrefined cane sugar or agave nectar at a one-to-one ratio for a deeper caramel undertone. Whole vanilla beans work well as a replacement for extract; split one pod lengthwise and drop it into the boiling pot to steep alongside the flowers.
- If the concentrate tastes too concentrated, dilute it with cold filtered water in increments of one cup until balanced.
- Cloudy tea usually indicates that the flowers were broken down too finely during storage; strain the liquid through a coffee filter to clarify.
- Crystals forming at the bottom of the pitcher mean the sugar did not fully dissolve during the initial heat phase; stir thoroughly while warm.
