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Tiberius Fizz

(recipe, Jacob Grier)

Introduction

Making a syrup with hibiscus flowers creates a cocktail sweetener with a brilliant color, which in this drink contrasts nicely with fresh green cucumber. (The Roman Emperor Tiberius was reportedly such a lover of cucumbers that greenhouses were built to provide them for his table year-round, hence the name of the drink.) I originally created this to pair with Beefeater’s Summer Edition gin, which includes elderflower, hibiscus, and black currants among its botanicals, but any good gin will work.

Ingredients

1. 1 slice cucumber, plus 3 slices for garnish
2. 2 oz. gin
3. ¾ oz. lemon juice
4. ¾ oz. hibiscus syrup (see Note)
5. Ice
6. Soda water

Steps

1. Muddle the first slice cucumber and add the gin, lemon juice, and hibiscus syrup. Shake with ice and fine-strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with soda water, garnish with the remaining cucumber slices, and stir.

Note

To make the syrup, steep a handful of hibiscus flowers in hot water for a few minutes, then strain. Mix the resulting infusion with an equal volume of sugar.