The Hibiscus Guava Pink Sour is one of my favorite fresh guava cocktails: fruity, tart, silky from the egg white foam, and pretty enough to impress just about anyone.
I make it with hibiscus I grow in my driveway here in Southern California, alongside all of my guava, citrus, herbs, and whatever else I’ve managed to squeeze into the space via Vego Garden elevated beds (I have two of these in my driveway) and giant terracotta pots.
Before you raid your own garden though, a word of warning. Most hibiscus is decorative and not safe to eat. The one you want is Hibiscus sabdariffa, also sold as flor de jamaica or roselle.
If you’re not sure what you have, chances are you bought a pretty one at the hardware store or your local nursery that isn’t edible; just buy dried culinary-grade petals. It’s always better to be safe than end up in the emergency room because you poisoned yourself.
Once you have the right blossoms, brew them into a tea and you’ve got the base for this drink.
What Is a Sour Cocktail?
A sour is a classic cocktail built on three elements: liquor, citrus, and sweetener. Add an egg white or aquafaba, and you get a foam layer on top that makes the texture silky and rounds out the tartness.
The Hibiscus Guava Pink Sour follows this format but uses hibiscus tea as part of the base, which adds a deep pink color and a cranberry-like tang to the guava simple syrup.
The Three Ingredients That Make This Drink
Guava Simple Syrup
This is the sweetener and the tropical backbone of the drink. It’s lightly fruity without being cloying, and it takes about 10 minutes to make. It’s not only great in cocktails, but also in spritzes and even stirred into sparkling water.
Check out my detailed guava simple syrup recipe
I recommend storing it in small 4 oz glass mason jars, which are perfect for keeping small batches fresh in the fridge or freezing extras so you always have some ready.
Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus is what gives the drink its pink color and tart edge. It’s not sweet on its own, which is why it balances the guava and keeps the drink from going flat. Use chilled brewed tea, not hot or you will wreck the whole thing and have to start over.
NOTE: I grow hibiscus under my back patio and in my driveway here in Southern California, both of which get bright indirect light throughout the day.
Not all hibiscus is edible.
The variety you want is Hibiscus sabdariffa, also called roselle or flor de jamaica (buy the seeds here). The decorative plants from your local nursery are a different species entirely. When in doubt, buy culinary-grade dried petals meant for tea, like these, which will give you more than enough for your cocktails and a year of tea.
Check out my full guide on using hibiscus in cocktails, including health considerations worth knowing.
Egg White Foam
Foam gives the cocktail a silky texture and rounds out the tartness, making the whole thing taste more balanced. If egg white isn’t your thing, aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) does the same job. I sometimes prefer it to egg whites and it can be cheaper if you make your own at home.
Understanding the Importance of the Dry Shake
If you’ve never made an egg white sour before, the dry shake is the one technique you need to learn and perfect.
Before adding ice, put all your ingredients, including the egg white or aquafaba, into the shaker and shake hard for about 10-15 seconds without ice. This step builds the foam. Then add ice and shake again to chill the drink.
If you skip the dry shake, you’ll still get some foam, but it’ll be thin and collapse fast. The dry shake is what gives you a thick, glossy layer that holds up in the glass.
Some people prefer the reverse shake (shake with ice first, strain, and then shake without), but I like to do my dry shake first.
I use a Boston shaker for my dry shake. The two-tin style gives a better seal when you’re shaking hard. I’ve had the lid pop off my cute glass shaker I used to film with when the pressure from the egg white and acid starts to build.
So, what you don’t see in the background of all my cocktail recipe videos is that I’m shaking a separate ingredient in my metal shaker.
The Glass and Garnish
A coupe glass, with its wide, shallow bowl, shows off the foam and the pink color without over-diluting with ice. A few options I like:
For cocktail garnishes, a thin lemon wheel on the rim is always easy. Dehydrated lemon slices laid across the top look clean and require zero prep.
A small dried hibiscus petal on the foam is a nice touch if you have one around, which, if you made that hibiscus tea, you probably have some extra petals. Just don’t use a fresh petal from your non-approved hibiscus plant!
How to Make the Mocktail Version
Skip the vodka and use a slightly stronger brew of hibiscus tea as the base. Add the guava syrup and lemon juice, use aquafaba instead of egg white, and shake the same way — dry shake first, then with ice.
The foam still works, the color is still there, and it holds up as a drink entirely on its own.
A Note on the Guava Syrup Amount
The recipe gives a range of 1 to 1.5 oz. If your syrup is on the sweeter side or your hibiscus tea is particularly tart, start with 1 oz and taste before adding more. The guava can take over if you go heavy, and you want the hibiscus to come through.
Tools I Use for This Drink
Everything I use for home bartending is in my Amazon shop.
Cocktails That Use Guava Simple Syrup
- Guava Spritz
- Hibiscus Guava Pink Sour
More Egg White Sours Worth Trying
- Blueberry Lavender Sour — gin or vodka with blueberry and lavender syrups
- Blackberry Earl Grey Sour — bourbon or gin, blackberry, and Earl Grey syrup
Hibiscus Guava Pink Sour Recipe
Glass: Coupe
Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka
- 1–1.5 oz guava simple syrup (start with 1 oz, adjust to taste)
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 oz brewed hibiscus tea, chilled
- 1 egg white OR 1/2 oz aquafaba
Instructions
- Add vodka, guava syrup, lemon juice, hibiscus tea, and egg white (or aquafaba) to a cocktail shaker. No ice yet.
- Dry shake hard for 15 seconds to build the foam.
- Add ice and shake again for 10–15 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel or dehydrated lemon slice.
Mocktail: Replace vodka with an extra 2 oz of hibiscus tea, brewed slightly stronger. Use aquafaba for the foam. Shake the same way.
