Hibiscus

Reverse the typical relationship between iced tea and ice cubes by using cubes that impart more flavor into the glass as they melt and mingle instead of diluting the drink.

This tea is brilliantly red and sweet-tart, with a delicious bite from ginger and aromas of clove and citrus

Hibiscus punch with ground ginger, roasted pineapple, and fresh lime. Rum optional.

You can find loose hibiscus flowers at Mexican and Indian grocers, but if not, use 6 hibiscus tea bags instead.

Granita is a light dessert, one you could enjoy any day of the week. The hibiscus flowers make it extra special and elevate the simple ice to dinner-party status. The trick to the granita's texture is to stir, or mash, it several times during freezing. This prevents it from freezing in a solid block.

True, this concoction is slightly more complex than lemonade. But so are most relationships.

We love the citrusy sour flavor of hibiscus, not to mention its amazing color.

Our version of the dessert-of-the-moment gets extra flair (and a gorgeous magenta hue) from the addition of hibiscus flowers.

I love how the fruitiness of Cluizel Concepción chocolate, mellowed by a little cream cheese, plays against the caramel and the flowery, slightly musky acidity of the blossoms (actually, calyces) called "Jamaica flowers" in Mexico and red hibiscus in this country. (They are what gives Red Zinger tea its color.) When I first developed this recipe, I used hibiscus to flavor the caramel, but now I include it in a separate sauce where its red color makes a gorgeous contrast with the dark flan. You will find that this flan is reminiscent of the classic cream cheese–fruit paste pairing that Latin Americans like in other contexts. For this recipe, do not use the spice marketed as "cinnamon" in American stores (it's really cassia). Look for the soft, flaky true cinnamon from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which has a much subtler and more delicate flavor. You can find it in Hispanic markets under the name canela.

Make this mysterious and delicious herbal iced tea in advance, because it’s best cold. You can buy dried hibiscus (known as jamaica) flowers at almost any Mexican market.

This makes an unexpected drink to serve porch-side visitors. With its beautiful color and sweet-tart cranberrylike flavor, guests will want to know where you had to go to find hibiscus pods, how interesting (and easy) it was to make, and talk about the sheer fact that hibiscus is edible. Be aware that with its deep red coloring, you shouldn't use a light-colored tablecloth.

The prototype for this wonderfully tangy sorbet was discovered in Hua Hin, Thailand, where we tasted a hibiscus sorbet made by chef David Bedinghaus at the Anantara Resort & Spa.