locally made Nigerian drinks we love : Zobo

Made from dried Roselle plant flowers, this is a refreshing drink is super easy to make and can be taken either sweetened or unsweetened. You can switch up your zobo by mixing it with garlic, ginger, pineapple, or any other fruit of your choice. A cold glass of zobo would leave you happy and fully refreshed.

That said, check out the recipe for 5 liters of zobo.

 What you need:

  • 2 cups of dry Zobo leaves
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 big piece of ginger
  • 1 big very ripe pineapple (or any fruit of your choice)

  Directions:

  1. Wash the zobo leaves thoroughly in cold water, don’t worry about washing the colour away.
  2. Wash, peel and cut the pineapple into thin slices. (or any other fruit you may have chosen)
  3. Wash, peel and cut the ginger and garlic into tiny pieces.
  4. Put the washed zobo leaves into a deep pot.
  5. Add the pineapples (or other fruit)  and pour enough water into the pot.
  6. Start cooking at medium to high heat and let it boil for 5 minutes.
  7. Add the ginger and the garlic, and more water. Keep boiling for at least 30 minutes to soften the zobo leaves.
  8. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down completely.
  9. When cool, sieve the juice from the pineapples and zobo leaves.
  10. Then pour the juice through a clean chiffon cloth to remove the tiniest particles.
  11. Add any artificial flavours of your choice, including sugar, and stir.
  12. Pour into bottles and refrigerate.
  13. Serve cold. You may garnish with cucumber of lemon slices.