Holiday Wellness Syrup

A festive, kid friendly drink for last minute gifting + cocktail mixing.

At the outdoor parent-child class I attend with our youngest Theo, Somer the teacher recently suggested making hibiscus tea for kids – it’s very high in vitamin C and can be served warm, making it a great winter drink that helps support the immune system and fight colds and other infections.

Somewhere in my sleep deprived mind I knew this to be true and took note as I thought it would be a great tip to share with you all. Dried Hibiscus flowers are easy to find—many health food stores and co-ops stock them loose in the spice section; they’re also affordable (see notes for ordering online). As I was driving home from the class, I started thinking of all the warming spices that help boost warmth and how the addition of nutrient-rich goji berries would provide a potent dose of immune boosting properties too.

It turned out to be a very popular drink with everyone since —young and old—and it’s festive color inspired me to decant small bottles to gift to teachers, friends and family for the holidays.

Although I’m calling it a syrup I don’t mean sweetened and reduced— you could reduce this mixture, but I find there is no need when you’re using a large amount of dried hibiscus flowers. They provide enough viscosity. The syrup is almost thick enough to drizzle over a dessert or yogurt (just saying). It also makes for a very tangy brew. To get the ‘littles’ to sip it, I’ve used a good amount of honey (or maple syrup) to balance the tang.

Enjoy this deep maroon beverage topped off with boiling or sparkling water—you can add any amount from a dash for a pretty pink color to up to half syrup half water. Or, if you’re Ezra (our older son), you’ll want to swig it straight from the bottle. Oh, and it can be used as a mixer for cocktails too.

NOTES:

Here I chose to use raw honey for its healing, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties but I promise it tastes just as great with maple syrup. Sometimes I use a bit of both when we’re running low on either.

Of course, you can halve this mixture if you’re not intending to gift some—it does keep very well in the fridge for a couple of weeks, possibly longer but I’ve never had any left for that long.

Serve it with a slice of orange or star anise if you like.

When ordering online my favorite place to get hibiscus tea is here. Use my code AMYCHAPLIN for a discount.

Below are some homemade gift ideas that I’ll be making this weekend for friends and family.

Happy Holidays to you all. Thank you so much for being here and supporting me with this new venture.

Amy, xo

Holiday Wellness Syrup

Makes about 7 cups

10 cups filtered water

¼ cup 30g dried goji berries

1 tablespoon cardamom pods

5 whole star anise

2-3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

2-inches fresh ginger, sliced (you can use ore if you like)

2 cups 150g dried hibiscus flowers

1 cup raw honey or maple syrup

Combine water, goji berries, cardamom, anise, cinnamon and ginger in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add hibiscus flowers and steep for 1 hour. Strain and press out as much liquid as possible. Return to pot and add honey while mixture is still warm so that it dissolves. If you’re using maple syrup, you can add it at any time. Once cool store it in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To serve:

Add 4 tablespoons of syrup to a glass or cup and top with about ¾ cup sparkling or boiling water for a warm drink.

Homemade crackers are always a well received gift—especially for your gluten-free and health conscious friends and family. Find them in my second book. Whole Food Cooking Every day on page 277.

WHOLE FOOD COOKING EVERY DAY
Buy on IndieBound | Purchase on Amazon

I always make a big batch of granola to share around. This year I’m thinking of revisiting the recipe in my first book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen on page 151

AT HOME IN THE WHOLE FOOD KITCHEN
Buy on IndieBound | Purchase on Amazon

P.S.I almost forgot about these delicious whole grain, gluten-free and dairy-free

Spiced Red Fruit Tartlets from my website. They’re perfect for a festive winter dessert.