Blood and Fire Cocktail
Chef JJ presents an environment for connection through food that transcends people, memories, and generations.
This tequila cocktail mixes cucumber and hibiscus: a combination that’s complex with a sharp, tangy, edge.
Ingredients
Hibiscus Syrup
- 1 cup palm sugar
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers (about 1 ounce, or 1-2 hibiscus tea bags)
- 2 (1.4 -inch-thick) slice fresh ginger
- 1 bird's-eye chili, seeded
Cocktail Mix
- 1.5 cups white tequila
- 1/2 cup hibiscus syrup
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- long cucumber slices
Preparation
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine 2 cups water and the palm sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Add the hibiscus, ginger, and chile, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the syrup is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 45 minutes. The color from the flowers will turn the liquid a bright pink hue.
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids. The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. Let cool completely before using.
Combine all the ingredients in a 1-quart mason jar with a lid. Shake vigorously with ice and strain into rocks glasses over ice. Garnish with cucumber.
Hibiscus Syrup: Chef JJ's Kitchen Tip
This syrup is simple to make and great for adding a pop of flavor and cutting through the richness of fried foods.
JJ Johnson
JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-Winning Chef, TV personality and author known for barrier-breaking cuisine informed by the Caribbean flavors of his upbringing. At FIELDTRIP, his made-to-order rice bowl concept in Harlem and Rockefeller Center, JJ highlights rice as a hero ingredient in globally inspired recipes. JJ is the host of ‘Just Eats with Chef JJ’ on Cleo TV and finalist for the 2022 James Beard Awards ‘Best Chef in New York State’. He serves on the James Beard Impact Programs Advisory Committee and sits on the junior board of Food Bank for New York City, taking action to end hunger.
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