We didn't have much time, and we needed a theme, so we used the birthday girl's love of fun Mexican food as inspiration for a Fortieth Fiesta!
To make this even more perfect, I had just made a ton of mint simple syrup, so we were going to put all of that deliciousness to work in this cocktail as well.
Ingredients
Hibiscus Tea Syrup
3 cups water
3/4 cup of loose hibiscus tea
1/2 cup sugar
Small bunch of mint
For Two Cocktails
4 oz hibiscus syrup
4 oz vodka
1.5 oz of fresh lime juice (about 1 large lime)
Sliced jalapeño rounds
Few sprigs of mint
Lime sliced into wheels
Directions:
Hibiscus tea syrup - You'll first need to make the hibiscus tea syrup (you can do this up to 2 weeks in advance). In a saucepan, add ½ cup sugar to 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Add dried hibiscus and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat add a small bunch of mint, and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a jar or glass container and chill until cold.
Cocktails - Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, chilled hibiscus syrup, lime juice, and vodka and shake vigorously to combine. Pour into glasses filled with ice and garnished with a couple of slices of jalapeño, a sprig of mint, and a wheel of line.
Make every day a fiesta!
Adrienne