Hibiscus Guava Agua Fresca

Why This Recipe Works

Our goal here was a fruity, refreshing nonalcoholic cocktail that would go down easy at an outdoor party on a hot summer day. To this end, we started by brewing hibiscus tea using our favorite room-temperature brewing method for iced tea. We then sampled our hibiscus tea mixed with every variety of fruit juice we could imagine—including passion fruit, orange, pineapple, and pear—and settled on the sweet, mildly tart taste of guava nectar as the winner. To sweeten our juicy, eye-poppingly pink tea, we favored mint syrup, which brought an herbal lift to the flavor. You could also try Herb Syrup made with basil, tarragon, or thyme in this drink instead of the mint, or try the Ginger Syrup. A small dose of lemon juice added some citrus acidity to round out the flavors perfectly and make it even more refreshing after a long afternoon in the sun.