With this heat it is nice to have a cool beverage to drink.  Hibiscus cooler is one of my favorites.  The basic recipe is hibiscus and mint.  Stevia provides sweetness or you can just use a sweetener.  The other ingredients add nutritional and medicinal properties.  Here is my recipe.

Start about 3 quarts of water to boil while you measure and add your ingredients:

1/2 cup rose hips  (40g)
1/2 cup chamomile flowers (10g)
1/2 cup hibiscus flowers(10g)
1/8 cup stevia leaf (3.5g)
1.5 teaspoon cloves (3g)

Let these boil one to four minutes.

Then turn off the heat and add:

1/2 cup mint leaves (13g)

Ideally, let everything sit until cool.  This allows the rose hips to soften and release all their vitamins into the water.  Then filter, place into a pitcher and cool in the fridge.  The stevia imparts some sweetness, but if you want it sweeter add sugar or honey while it is still warm.  (I’d recommend avoiding high fructose sweeteners like agave syrup and corn syrup.)

Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients in pictures:

1/2 cup rose hips (40 g)

1/2 cup chamomile (10g)

1/2 cup hibiscus (10g)

1/8 cup stevia (3.5g)

1.5 teaspoons cloves (3g)

1/2 cup peppermint (13g)