I don’t know about you, but something about the warm weather makes me want to drink all of the delicious things all the time. On a warm evening, I find my mind drifting towards a cold glass of rose or lusting after a pre-dinner Aperol Spritz.

I’m all for having a glass of wine or two with Fabes or my friends, but I usually like to keep it in balance. I aim for at least 3 or 4 completely alcohol-free days during the week. Usually this isn’t an issue, I love a warm tea in the evening or a little club soda with lemon juice while I’m cooking dinner as a way to satisfy my palette. But perfect warm weather is rare in New York, so it always feels like cause for a celebration.

Lately I’ve been making this hibiscus iced tea as my end-of-day calm down treat. The combination of hibiscus, chamomile, and rose relaxes me, tastes divine, and looks pretty special too.

Hibiscus flowers are high in antioxidants (as you might be able to guess by their vibrant color) and have anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and liver-protecting qualities. Chamomile is a powerful relaxant and helps aid digestion. And rose petals add a floral element that’s thought to help quell anxiety and depression. All up, this is a pretty ideal combo at the end of a long day.

I started making a version with Republic of Tea hibiscus and ‘Get Relaxed’ tea bags, which are delicious, but pricy. I decided to order all my ingredients whole and dried from Mountain Rose Herbs (this isn’t sponsored, I’ve just had a great experience ordering from them). Their 4-ounce bags of herbs and flowers are super affordable and a good size to experiment with (not too much, but still a generous amount).

I steeped my tea in my 4-cup French press coffee maker, which I made sure to clean well beforehand to get rid of any excess coffee grinds. You could also do this in a couple of tea infusers, or freeform it and steep everything in a pitcher together, then strain out the flowers using a fine mesh strainer.

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Hibiscus Chamomile Ice Tea

This iced tea is tart, sweet, and the perfect calming drink for an afternoon mood booster or to unwind with at the end of the day — ideally outside somewhere.

Course Drinks

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons hibiscus leaves
• 1 tablespoon chamomile flowers
• 1 teaspoon rose petals
• 3 ½-4 cups boiled water , cooled slightly
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Ice , to serve.

Instructions

1. In a 4-cup French press coffee maker or a tea infuser, combine hibiscus, chamomile, and rose in the base of the press.

2. Pour over almost-boiled water over and let steep for 10 minutes, then press with the plunger and transfer to a carafe. 

3. Stir in honey until dissolved, followed by lemon. Let cool and serve over ice. Store in the fridge.