This spiced hibiscus vodka egg white sour cocktail is a fun and festive twist on a classic vodka sour cocktail. Floral, laced with notes of cinnamon + ginger, and perfectly sweet tart for an easy make at home cocktail. Naturally sweetened!

Close up shot of a bright red hibiscus sour cocktail with a lovely cap of egg white foam. Garnished with a few hibiscus flower and a cinnamon stick. On a dark grey background, glass is surrounded by a few scattered hibiscus flowers and a couple cinnamon sticks.

Is there anything better than sitting down at a gorgeous bar and ordering a *perfectly* made craft cocktail?

It really is one of life’s simple pleasures. But, since we haven’t been spending much (okay ANY) time dining out this year, we’ve slowly been bringing the craft cocktails to life at home.

It’s been super fun & weirdly empowering to start making different homemade versions of some of our favorite cocktails.

Before this year the most that we would do in terms of home bartending was shaking up an espresso martini after dinner (still a forever fave at our house), or margaritas on taco night.

But this year, I’ve been getting super into creating different version of SOURS.

Have you had a sour cocktail before? Some are made with egg whites, some without. And really you can make a sour either way, but personally I love the impressive silky / foamy texture that an egg white imparts in a sour cocktail (another favorite of ours has been this Orange Campari Egg White Sour!).

What makes a sour a sour, is the combination of a spirit, fresh citrus juice (usually lemon or lime), a sweetener, and sometimes an egg white.

I have also been swooning over the bright and lively flavor + color of hibiscus lately, which seemed like the perfect ingredient to include for a riff on a classic vodka sour to make a festive holiday inspired version!

It truly is a must make if you love sweet / tart cocktails.

Why you’ll love this spiced hibiscus vodka sour

This hibiscus sour recipe is:

Naturally sweetened
Tart and refreshing
Festive
Laced with notes of cinnamon and ginger
Easy to make
Impressive
Juicy
Perfect for the holidays or a cozy Friday night in 😉

Straight on shot of two side by side bright red hibiscus sour cocktails with a lovely cap of egg white foam. Garnished with a few hibiscus flower and a cinnamon stick. On a dark grey background, glass is surrounded by a few scattered hibiscus flowers and a couple cinnamon sticks. A jar of dried hibiscus flowers is in the background of the scene.

Spiced Hibiscus Vodka Sour Cocktail Ingredients

This spiced hibiscus sour is made with the same ingredients that would be used in a classic vodka sour recipe, with the addition of some spice infused hibiscus tea.

The ratios for this sour recipe are a little different though, because hibiscus itself is naturally rather tart, I’ve reduced the amount of fresh lemon juice slightly to keep the flavors balanced.

(If you’re already ready to get started, scroll all the way down to the bottom for the full recipe!)

The ingredients for this vodka sour are:

Hibiscus – Loose flowers or tea bags both work. I have purchased this bag of organic hibiscus flowers and the quality was exceptional. It is a rather large quantity, so if you may want to plan to split it with a few friends, or use it for hand packaged holiday gifts.
Fresh ginger
Cinnamon sticks
Ice
Vodka – This cocktail can also be made without any spirits for a booze-free beverage
Fresh squeezed lemon juice – Fresh really is best. I’ve tried making cocktails at home using jarred or “pre-squeezed” citrus juice and fresh is just far superior. For this recipe you’ll only need the juice of about 1/2 a large lemon per cocktail.
Maple syrup
Egg white – or aquafaba for a vegan version

Close up shot of straining the spiced hibiscus sour cocktail into a glass filled with ice. On a dark grey background with 2 cinnamon sticks angled next to the glass.

What tools do I need to make this hibiscus sour cocktail?

To easily make this hibiscus sour, you’ll need a few basic home bartending tools. But if you don’t have all of them, don’t stress – there are workarounds that I’ll share below. Whatever you do, don’t skip shaking this cocktail! It’s essential to aerate the ingredients and build the lush and creamy foam.

These are the tools you’ll need to make this cocktail:

A cocktail shaker
A strainer – if your shaker doesn’t have one built in
Something to measure the spirits and other ingredients with – This could either be a jigger or simply some measuring spoons.

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker or a strainer, this article has some awesome solutions for missing pieces for the home mixologist.

How to make this spiced hibiscus vodka sour cocktail recipe

This cocktail is made in 2 main parts.

The first step which requires a little advance planning is making the infused hibiscus tea. This step can be done well ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to mix up some drinks.
The second step is gathering the rest of the ingredients and assembling the cocktails.

Here’s the step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make the infused hibiscus tea

Add water, fresh sliced ginger, a cinnamon stick, and hibiscus to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until dark red in color and very aromatic. Remove from heat, strain, and transfer to the refrigerator to finish cooling.

This step can be done well in advance if you know you’re making these cocktails later in the week or in the evening.

Step 2: Dry shake the cocktail ingredients

Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, vodka, hibiscus infusion, maple syrup, and egg white or aquafaba in cocktail shaker and shake WITHOUT ice for about 15 seconds. This is called a “dry shake” or “double shake” method, and it allows the egg white or aquafaba to be incorporated into the rest of the ingredients and aerate before being diluted by ice.

Step 3: Shake a second time with ice

Now you can add a handful of ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake for another 15 or so seconds. This chills the drink and further strengthens the foam.

Step 4: Strain into cocktail glasses + enjoy!

Strain into 2 rocks size cocktail glasses filled with ice and enjoy! Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a few hibiscus flowers if desired.

CHEERS!

45 degree angle shot of two side by side bright red hibiscus sour cocktails with a lovely cap of egg white foam. Garnished with a few hibiscus flower and a cinnamon stick. On a dark grey background, glass is surrounded by a few scattered hibiscus flowers and a couple cinnamon sticks.

What does hibiscus taste like?

Hibiscus has a sweet, tart, & floral flavor. It’s somewhat reminiscent of cranberry juice, but more floral and aromatic.

Hibiscus tea can be consumed both hot and cold.

We love this Naturally Sweetened Hibiscus Lemonade and these Strawberry Hibiscus Slushies for a refreshing cold summertime drink!

Why add an egg white to cocktails?

Egg whites have been used by bartenders in cocktails for nearly a century.

Adding an egg white to cocktails gives it a rich, creamy texture and a lovely cap of extremely sip-able foam that will both impress and delight.

When you whip an egg white into a cocktail it’s basically the same transformation that takes place when you whip egg whites to make meringue.

And if you’re concerned about it making your drink taste “weird” worry not, egg whites are essentially flavorless, and will actually help balance the acidity and sweetness in the drink.

Vegan egg white substitute

If you would rather not use a raw egg white, or are looking for a vegan option, aquafaba works incredibly well as a vegan egg white substitute!

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is the liquid that you find in a can of chickpeas. Because of it’s starchy nature it can be used in many applications in place of egg whites, and works very well to build foam in a cocktail.

Two tablespoons of aquafaba is equal to one egg white.

What is a dry shake?

A dry shake (or double shake as it’s sometimes called), is when you first shake all of the cocktail ingredients without ice to fully incorporate the egg white into the cocktail.

A dry shake should last about 15 seconds, and helps to start activating the protein in the egg white before diluting it with ice for the perfect frothy, creamy texture.

This method is used for all egg white sour cocktail recipes.

After a dry shake, add ice and shake again to chill the cocktail and further strengthen the foam.

Supre close up shot of a single hibiscus sour cocktail. Cocktail is bright red, topped with a generous cap of pink foam, and garnished with a few hibiscus flowers and a cinnamon stick. On a dark grey background.

When to serve this spiced hibiscus vodka sour cocktail

This hibiscus sour is a lovely drink to enjoy around the holidays, and would be a delicious cocktail to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

It’s also relatively easy enough to serve any night of the week that you feel like enjoying something a little special for happy hour. And would make a perfect “date night in” drink as well!

If you make this spiced hibiscus sour, please let us know by leaving a REVIEW and RATING below!

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