Hibiscus Pomegranate Cooler

This recipe is packed with nutrition, musky hibiscus and topped with strawberries, blueberries and orange rounds.

Pomegranate juice might just be the gateway to eternal life. It has been consumed for about five thousand years and revered for nearly as long. Early Persians claimed the fruit had immortal properties, while in China it was a symbol of longevity. Contemporary science is content to say pomegranates have unusually high levels of antioxidants – more than blueberries or cranberries, and that’s saying a lot. And contemporary Rebecca is content to say it has a lovely sweet-tart taste that I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid. In this recipe, I wanted to smooth out pomegranate’s somewhat assertive flavor while pumping up the nutrition, so I turned to musky hibiscus, which has been shown to help control cholesterol and limit fatty buildup in arteries. To take it over the top, I added frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, and orange rounds, to make something akin to Middle Eastern sangria. I think the ancients were on to something.
-Rebecca Katz, author of The Longevity Kitchen cookbook

1/4 cup loose hibiscus tea, or 12 hibiscus tea bags
4 cups boiling water
4 cups cold water
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
Spritz of fresh lemon
juice 1 orange, sliced into rounds
3 sprigs fresh mint
16 frozen strawberries
24 frozen blueberries

1. Put the tea in a heatproof container. Pour in the boiling water and let steep for five minutes.
2. Strain the tea
into a pitcher. Stir in the cold water, pomegranate juice, lemon juice.
3. Add the orange slices and mint and refrigerate for at least one hour, until well chilled.
4. Add the frozen strawberries and blueberries to individual glasses when serving.

Prep time: five minutes
Cook time: one hour for chilling
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to
 four days