We will never say no to a good shandy anytime of year! We teamed up with cross cultural culinary creator Natasha Mahapatro for this Rupee Hibiscus Mint Shandy Recipe with the most divine color and taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup of dried hibiscus flowers
• 2 cups of cold filtered water
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves
• 1 16 oz of Rupee Premium Lager Beer
• Hibiscus flowers in syrup, optional for garnish

DIRECTIONS

• Make your hibiscus tea by placing 1/4 of dried hibiscus flowers in a mason jar (or container that has a lid) with two cups of cold filtered water. Add in 10-12 mint leaves in the jar.
• Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. For a deeper flavor, chill up to 5-6 hours or overnight. Be careful not to brew the tea any longer, as hibiscus is quite tart and the longer you brew the tea- the more tart tea you have to work with!
• To serve, start by straining 6 oz of the hibiscus-mint cold brewed tea into a pint glass.
• Then, top with 10 oz of Rupee beer.
• Optional, but for an extra touch- garnish with hibiscus flowers on a cocktail pick. Serve immediately!
• I highly recommend making your tea with dried hibiscus flowers, but you can use a store-bought version as well. I’ve found that dried hibiscus flowers are becoming easier to find. I’ve seen them at quite a few local grocers. You can also use hibiscus tea bags or a store-bought iced hibiscus ice tea. Versatility! If you do, just be sure to add in your mint when steeping to get the maximum flavor.
• Let’s talk about sweeteners. I prefer the crisp tartness of hibiscus tea without any added sugar- but you can also sweeten the tea with a simple syrup if you’d like before assembling the shandy. Another great option is to use the hibiscus flowers in rose syrup. I used this one for this recipe. The syrup adds a little bit of sweetness (not too much) and is the perfect sweetness level for me. The best thing about this drink is that it is easily customizable! You can always add a little or a lot of sweetener based on your preference – just be sure to use simple syrup or agave versus raw sugar. Since you are using iced tea for this recipe, you want to make sure the sugar dissolves and doesn’t just fall to the bottom of your glass.