Hibiscus Berry Mocktail

A: Fresh passion fruit can be found in the tropical fruit section of well-stocked grocery stores, specialty markets, or Latin/Asian grocery stores. Look for wrinkled, purple or yellow passion fruits - the wrinkles mean they're ripe! If you can't find fresh, frozen passion fruit pulp is an excellent substitute and is actually easier to work with. You'll find it in the freezer section of Latin markets or online. Just thaw it before using. In a pinch, you could substitute with 2-3 tablespoons of passion fruit juice (like Goya brand), though fresh or frozen pulp gives you those fun crunchy seeds and more authentic flavor..

A: Absolutely! This scales up beautifully for parties. For a pitcher serving 6-8 people, multiply all the ingredients by 6-8, but keep the sparkling water separate. In a large pitcher, combine the passion fruit pulp, lemon juice, simple syrup, cooled hibiscus tea, and frozen blueberries. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve. When your guests arrive, fill glasses with ice, pour the mocktail mixture about three-quarters full, then top each glass with sparkling water right before serving. This keeps the drinks fizzy! You can also set up a DIY mocktail bar with all the components separated and let guests build their own drinks.

A: While hibiscus gives this mocktail its gorgeous pink color and tart, cranberry-like flavor, there are other options! You could use cranberry juice (unsweetened or lightly sweetened) for a similar tart, fruity flavor and pink color - use the same amount. Pomegranate juice is another great substitute that's tart and antioxidant-rich. For a lighter option, try using cold-brewed berry tea (like berry zinger or mixed berry tea) which will be less tart but still fruity and colorful. Just adjust the simple syrup based on how sweet your substitute is - cranberry and pomegranate juice are naturally sweeter than hibiscus tea.

A: Yes! This mocktail is very prep-friendly. You can brew the hibiscus tea up to 3 days ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator. The simple syrup keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. You can even juice your lemons ahead of time and store the fresh lemon juice in the fridge for 2-3 days. If using fresh passion fruit, you can scoop out the pulp and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The only thing you want to do fresh is adding the sparkling water right before serving - if you add it too early, it will lose its fizz and the drink won't be as refreshing!