After giving up my usual beverage of choice (vodka) on January 2nd (WHAT?! There was still leftover pizza in the fridge on January 1st!!!), I’ve been making do with coffee, green tea, and soda water. However, as you know, I’ve been following Dr. Michael Greger’s podcasts and videos, and learned recently that he drinks hibiscus tea ALL DAY LONG because it has been proven to be the beverage with the highest anti-oxidant properties of all other beverages–even matcha tea!!

Have a look for yourself:

Now, I’m feeling a bit betrayed because it took me forever to train myself to like matcha and now I learn that it’s a sad second to hibiscus tea–the sourest tasting stuff you’ll ever encounter.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to train myself to like hibiscus tea (hey, apparently you need taste something only ten times before you start liking it!), but it has not been going well…until yesterday. I dutifully brewed up a pot of the beautiful-looking, but fugly tasting liquid and then promptly forgot about it and went to work.

When I arrived home to a cold pot of tea, I decided to mix the brew with my usual evening soda water and pour it over ice.

It was surprisingly refreshing, particularly with a fat slice of grapefruit and a sprig of mint. I highly recommend it!!

PS I started drinking water and soda water with grapefruit and mint after my trip to Dublin in December: the minute you walk into any hip-ish restaurant in Dublin, they plunk down a huge carafe of ice water with a large chunk of grapefruit and a sprig of mint–so refreshing and SO addictive (not as addictive as my beloved vodka, but a little more benign!!).