Snake Blood Cocktail

Wow!  This is really great.  I made the hibiscus syrup the night before and it is such a gorgeous color!
This cocktail has a nice balance of sweet/sour/bitter.  I suggest doubling the hibiscus syrup.

Hibiscus Syrup Syrup

• 1 ½ cups [360 ml] water
• 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons [75 g] sugar

Combine the water, hibiscus flowers and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to medium-low and reduce the mixture by about a third. Strain into a heatproof jar and discard the solids. Cool the syrup, and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

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Snake’s Blood Cocktail

• 1 large ice cube, plus more ice cubes for the cocktail shaker
• 1 ½ ounce rye whiskey
• 1 ounce Aperol
• ¾ ounce hibiscus syrup
• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 dried hibiscus flower for garnish

Put the large ice cube into a chilled rocks glass.
Pour the rye, Aperol, hibiscus syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain over the large ice cube in the corks glass. Serve immediately, garnished with the dried hibiscus flower.