Sweet, bright, and refreshing, this Sweet Vermouth Hibiscus Tea Cocktail is great for summer entertaining.
I’m not a big drinker, I occasionally have a glass of wine with dinner or with appetizers when I’m entertaining.
After experiencing a sweet vermouth cocktail at a friends house, I was curious and decided to learn a bit more about the intriguing ingredient in the drinks my friend served. It was a pretty simple cocktail, she mixed sweet vermouth, sparkling water, a splash of fresh orange juice with a twist of orange zest. However, the most popular drink that uses vermouth is a martini, which is a bit too strong for my taste.
Vermouth, what is it?
Vermouth is an aromatized, fortified wine flavored with herbs, spices, seeds, flowers, barks, roots and various botanicals. It’s fortified with distilled alcohol which keeps it from spoiling as quickly as traditional wine.
There are several kinds of vermouth, the most popular are red which is sweet, and white which is dry. In this recipe, I used sweet vermouth and one of my favorites, hibiscus tea.
You’ll need to make your tea and allow it to cool in your fridge. I recommend you make your tea several hours before you need it for your cocktails or overnight, so that it’s nice and chilled when you’re ready to make your cocktails.
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Cocktail time is super easy, simply mix, stir and pour.
The herbal sweetness of the vermouth combined with the tart florals of the hibiscus tea, with a touch of citrus is amazing.
Sweet Vermouth Hibiscus Tea Cocktail
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 oz Lemoncello Liqueur
- several sprigs of fresh mint leaves
- crushed ice
- 3 oz. sweet vermouth
- maple syrup or sweetener of your choice to taste
- 3 to 4 dashes of aromatic bitters
- several slices of lemon wedges
Instructions
- Place lemoncello liqueur and 6 to 8 mint leaves into a cocktail shaker, muddle to release the flavor of the mint.
- Add ice, vermouth, 1 ½ cups of the hibiscus tea, maple syrup or sweetener of your choice, and bitters.
- Shake to combine.
- Pour over two glasses of ice and garnish with mint leaves and a lemon wedge. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Kasey says
Love this! Going to have to try!
Celeste says
Thanks Kasey, enjoy!
Ranelle says
This sounds delicious AND refreshing. I live ina very hot climate and LOVE LOVE LOVE hibiscus tea! Def. need to try this one!
Celeste says
Ranelle I hope you can enjoy this as much as I do. So refreshing.
Shreya Chaudhari says
this sounds sooo good
Christina Holmes says
I cant wait to try this recipe!!
Natalie says
I love vermouth. I love its flavor. This drink looks super refreshing and so enjoyable. I'm making this for me and my hubby soon. Thanks for sharing.
Heather says
What an amzing drink! Love the herbs and spices and great combination of flavors with the hibiscus tea and lemoncello .. beautiful pics and lovely recipe
Celeste says
Thanks Heather, It's a really refreshing drink.
swathi says
Your post made me think I need to buy Vermouth now. Love this hibiscus tea cocktail, I am going to make this for next weekend.
Celeste says
Swathi I certainly hope you enjoy this drink. You can customize to suit your taste.
Claire says
Everything about this creams, make me and drink me all summer long!!!!
The colour is just beautiful and I love the use of hibiscus!
Celeste says
Thanks, I sometimes make a batch and keep in the fridge so it's ready when i am.
Melissa says
I love the sounds of this, a nice and simple cocktail for the warm months! It also helps that it is stunning to look at!
Celeste says
You're right Melissa, this cocktail is simple and perfect for those hot summer days and nights.
Tammy says
That is one hell of a drink! How gorgeous and refreshing 😀 I am in love with the idea of combing vermouth, hibiscus and limoncello. My goodness, I need a glass of this right now ;D Cheers!
Celeste says
Thanks Tammy, the flavors are amazing together. Hopefully you'll give one this a try soon.
Noel Lizotte says
Now that's what I call a cocktail! Beautiful and tempting! I appreciate the education, too, on what makes vermouth different from wine. I had no idea.
Celeste says
After learning so much about how vermouth is made I was motivated to come up with a refreshing summer drink.
Michelle says
Wow, I'm loving all the herbs and spices in this drink. Sounds like it could cure anything!
Celeste says
Yeah, it's amazing the number of herbs and spices in this drink. Refreshing and delicious, perfect for warm summer days.
Marisa Franca says
What an interesting beverage. I simply love the color and the use of limoncello is fascinating. We do use vermouth but the dry variety in cooking. I'll have to make a point of getting the sweet variety and make this beautiful drink.
Celeste says
I've used dry vermouth in cooking as well, but after learning more about sweet vermouth I decided it was time to create a drink perfect for the hot summer months.
Cathleen says
This looks delicious! Just one question, where can you get the dried hibiscus flowers?
Celeste says
Thanks Cathleen, I got my flowers from Whole Foods bulk tea selection.
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
I saw this and immediately wanted one. Adding the ingredients to the grocery list, stat!! IT looks fantastic for summer!
Celeste says
You're like me when you see something you like, you make plans to give it a try. I hope you like it, enjoy!
Veena Azmanov says
I love how cool and refreshing this sounds and I love the sound of sweet vermouth. This would be perfect to serve at a BBQ party in this hot weather. Definitely saving this for later
Celeste says
Veena this is a good one to serve at a BBQ. I served it at our last gathering and it was a hit.
Gloria says
This sound like the perfect drink for a BBQ party. Love the colour, and the flavour combination sounds delicious too. I would make it by the pitcher full and let the guests help themselves.
Celeste says
Gloria you and I think alike. I made a big pitcher full and my guest served themselves at my last gathering.
Claudia Lamascolo says
this sounds so refreshing but its perfect on these hot hot summer days. Looks like a winner to me!
Celeste says
It was certainly a winner at my last gathering and I'll be serving it at my next gathering.
Valerie says
I love iced tea and enjoy it year round. I haven't had a cocktail like this one, it sounds like it has an interesting flavor.
Celeste says
It's a refreshing drink, and the flavors marry well together. Hibiscus tea is one of my favorites and it's wonderful in this cocktail.
Camilla Hawkins says
This cocktail looks so pretty and I bet it tastes amazing with all the different flavours marrying together!
Celeste says
You're right Camilla this is an amazing cocktail. The flavors are wonderful and work well together.
Leigh Suznovich says
Oh my, this looks dangerously good and refreshing for a summer cocktail!
Celeste says
Thanks Leigh, I'm not a big drinker, so drinks like this one are perfect for me. I hope you have a chance to give it a try.
Joe says
This looks absolutely amazing! I just tried a fennel infused vermouth spritzer with gin and rhubarb that was delicious. Love these summery recipes!
Celeste says
Wow, the infused vermouth spritzer drink sounds very interesting.
Kate says
Love drinks like this that are cooling in the summer months. I give it a try (:
Celeste says
Kate I hope you like it, have fun!