Sorrel

Though Christmas has past, I’m still in the holiday mood and there’s one drink that is always a feature, sorrel! I love sorrel year round, but it’s typically made at Christmas time all over the Caribbean, and can be found in Central and South America, Mexico and in parts of Africa. It’s tasty and refreshing.

For me, it brings back memories of the holidays and spending time with family and friends. This is a basic recipe but as always with Caribbean food and drinks, you can add your own personal touch and make this drink your own. I hope you try it and love it. Maybe you will even incorporate a little Caribbean tradition into your own holiday! Enjoy.

Dried sorrel.

4oz's of dried sorrel.

Cinnamon stick and whole cloves.

Everything in the pot!

After cooking for a few minutes.

After cooking for 30 minutes.

4oz dried sorrel (hibiscus flowers)

1 gallon water

2 2.5” cinnamon sticks

24 whole cloves

1 whole star anise

Sugar to taste (I used about 3-4 cups which is still slightly tart)

Optional Additions:

*Lemon Juice

Bay leaves

*Fresh ginger

Orange peel

*Rum

Vanilla

Note:

I’d only choose a few, not all, but you can have fun experimenting with flavor

*My favorite additions to the basic recipe above.

1. In a stockpot large enough to hold the water and not boil over, bring the gallon of water to a boil.

2. Once the water is boiling add the dried sorrel, cinnamon sticks and cloves. If you plan to add additional flavorings like the orange peel, fresh ginger, star anise and or bay leaves, they should go in now.

3. Let simmer stirring occasionally for 30 minutes then turn off the heat.

4. Stir in your sugar until it has dissolved, and the juice of one lemon. Try a bit and if it is too tart, you can add more sugar to taste.

5. Cover with a lid and let your sorrel steep overnight. You can leave it on the stovetop. If you’re worried about leaving it out, let the pot cool to room temperature and place the entire pot with cover into your fridge.

6. Once you have allowed it to steep, grab a fine mesh sieve and strain into a bowl or another stockpot. You will need to transfer your strained liquid into containers. Make sure to press the sorrel to get as much of the liquid as you can.

7. Like tea, you can discard the sorrel flowers.

8. If you’re adding rum and or vanilla extract you can stir into your strained liquid and add more water if it’s too strong.

9. Using a funnel, pour into bottles with lids/caps that you can store in the refrigerator.

10. Let chill and serve.