Zobo Drink

Ingredients

• 3 big cups of dried Zobo leaves (dried Roselle flowers / Hibiscus sabdariffa)
• A very big piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
• 2 big big tablespoons of whole cloves
• Peels from 1 whole fresh pineapple — the single greatest flavour enhancer for Zobo
• 1 stick of cinnamon — optional
• 8 glasses of water
• Sugar or honey to taste
• Fresh lemon or lime juice — squeezed in at the very end

Method

1. 01

   Rinsing the Zobo Leaves. Place the dried Zobo leaves in a colander and rinse briefly under cold water to remove any dust or debris.

2. 02

   Boiling with All the Aromatics. Place the rinsed Zobo leaves, sliced ginger, whole cloves, pineapple peels and cinnamon stick if using in a large pot. Add 8 glasses of water. Bring to a vigorous full boil over high heat. Boil for 20 minutes — the water will turn a spectacularly deep crimson-red. The longer and more vigorously you boil, the deeper the colour and flavour.

3. 03

   Straining. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth, pressing the spent leaves and aromatics firmly to extract every last drop of the richly coloured liquid.

4. 04

   Sweetening. Add sugar or honey to taste while the liquid is still warm — this helps it dissolve evenly. Stir well. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon or lime — this brightens the flavour dramatically and deepens the colour to an even more spectacular crimson.

5. 05

   Chilling and Serving. Allow to cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate. Serve very cold over ice for maximum refreshment and visual impact.

More traditional drinks

• Kunu Zaki30 min
• Kunu Aya20 min
• Palm Wine45 min
• Ogi Baba20 min
• Tepache30 min
• Pineapple and Ginger Drink20 min