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Glass of Zobo with a pineapple al fresco.
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Healthy Zobo Drink

A Delicious and Nutritious Drink
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: African, Caribbean, Latin American
Keyword: casserole, Hibiscus calyces
Servings: 4 bottles

Equipment

  • 1 Stock pot
  • 1 blender
  • 1 large metal spoon
  • 1 large strainer or sieve
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • 1 funnel

Ingredients

  • 4 cups hibiscus calyces
  • 1 large ripe pineapple
  • 2 cups dates
  • 1 lemon sliced
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1½ cup ginger root Use Jamaican or Peruvian ginger a for sharper flavour.
  • 5 pimento leaves
  • 5 cinnamon leaves
  • ½ tbsp baking powder helps to remove tartness
  • 10 cups water

Instructions

  • Rinse hibiscus calyces quickly to remove impurities and place in mixing bowl.
  • Rinse the pineapple well, peel and slice. Option - You can add the pineapple peel to the stock pot to boil with the other ingredients.
  • Blend pineapple and dates with enough liquid not to damage blender.
    Blended pineapple and dates in a blender on a kitchen counter.
  • Slice cucumber.
  • Peel and slice ginger.
  • Place all the ingredients on the stockpot and boil for 30 minutes.
  • Let the pot cool and remove the large pieces of fruit.
  • Strain the juice through a sieve, gently stirring pulp through as you do not want to include leftover pulp. You can repeat this process for best results.
  • Pour juice into glass bottles and store for up to several days in the fridge. It can be stored in an appropriate container in the freezer for a longer period.

Notes

There is a difference in taste between the fresh and dried hibiscus, however both are delicious. 
A ripe pineapple will give a sweeter the juice with the addition of dates.
Zobo  is best served chilled.