Sorrel drink
Jamaica's ruby-red Christmas drink of dried hibiscus steeped with fresh ginger, pimento and cloves (steep 8 hours or overnight)
Sorrel is the drink of a Jamaican Christmas: in December the markets fill with the red flowers (the calyces of a hibiscus), and every home brews a big batch to share. They're steeped with lots of fresh ginger, pimento and cloves, then sweetened, giving a deep ruby drink that's tart, spicy and refreshing over ice. Many families add a splash of white or dark rum for the adults. Chef's tip: be generous with the ginger and let it steep overnight. A long, cool steep pulls out the colour and a fiery ginger bite without the bitterness of over-boiling.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rinse 2 ⅛ oz dried sorrel (hibiscus flowers) in a sieve under cold water to wash off any dust.
Step 2: Put 2 litres water, 2 ⅞ oz fresh ginger, 10 allspice (pimento) berries, 6 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 strips orange peel in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, until the water smells strongly of ginger.
10 minStep 3: Turn off the heat, add the sorrel and stir. Don't keep boiling it: long boiling makes sorrel bitter and dulls the colour.
Step 4: Cover and leave to steep at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. It will turn a deep ruby red.
480 minStep 5: Strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin, pressing the flowers to get all the liquid out.
Step 6: Stir in 9 oz sugar and 2 tbsp lime juice until the sugar dissolves (warm a little of the liquid if needed). Taste: it should be sweet, tart and peppery with ginger. Add ½ cup white or dark rum now if using.
Step 7: Bottle and chill. Serve very cold over 1 ice. It keeps for a week in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sorrel drink take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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