Mock Pineapple Margarita

If you love the decompression you get from cocktail hour but are looking to decrease your alcohol intake, this is a bright and delicious drink that will have you swooning.

Ingredients for Jalapeno Pineapple Syrup

• 1 large jalapeno, roughly chopped with seeds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup distilled water
• pineapple juice

Ingredients for Tea Concentrate

• 1 oz loose smokey green tea
• 1 oz dried hibiscus flowers
• 3 cups distilled water

Ingredients for Mock Pineapple Margarita

• 4 ounces tea concentrate
• 2 ounces jalapeno pineapple syrup
• ice

Instructions

1. Make the syrup by combining jalapeno, sugar and water in a small pot and heating over medium-high heat just until the sugar is fully dissolved, stirring often. Take the syrup off the heat and allow to infuse and cool completely, for about 15 minutes. Strain the syrup into a measuring cup, add equal volume of pineapple juice and stir to combine. Syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
2. Make the tea concentrate by steeping the tea and hibiscus in water that’s been heated to 195°F for 5 minutes. Strain out the leaves and store in a clean container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
3. Once all your prep work has been done, making the drink is quick and easy. Combine 4 ounces of tea concentrate, 2 ounces of syrup and a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker and shake to chill until the contents look a bit foamy. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a skewered pineapple chunk and a slice of candied jalapeno, if you’d like.
4. Close your eyes and pretend you’re on a beach.