If yuh walk into any Jamaican yard between December and New Year’s, somebody going offer yuh a glass of sorrel. Deep red, spicy from the ginger, sweet, ice cold, and if it’s Uncle pouring, maybe a likkle something extra in it. Sorrel is Christmas in a glass.
[ALY: add a short personal memory here — who made sorrel in your family, where the jug lived in the fridge. 2–3 sentences.]
What is sorrel?
Sorrel is the red calyx of a hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa). In Jamaica it comes into season around Christmas, which is why the drink and the holiday go together. Outside the Caribbean you’ll often find it sold dried as “hibiscus flowers”, “flor de Jamaica” or “roselle”.
Can’t find fresh sorrel? Here’s what to look for abroad
- Caribbean and West Indian grocers — fresh sorrel sometimes shows up in December; dried is there year-round.
- Latin American shops — look for “flor de Jamaica”, used for agua de Jamaica.
- African grocers — dried hibiscus is used for drinks like bissap and zobo.
- Online — dried hibiscus flowers ship almost anywhere. [ALY: affiliate link — dried hibiscus]
Dried sorrel works just as well as fresh — use roughly a third of the weight, because the water is gone.
Jamaican sorrel recipe
[ALY: test this and adjust amounts to taste before publishing. Consider moving it into WP Recipe Maker for a recipe card + schema.]
Ingredients (makes about 2 litres)
- 1 lb fresh sorrel (or about 2 cups / 5 oz dried)
- 3–4 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or smashed
- 8–10 pimento (allspice) berries [ALY: affiliate link]
- 4–6 whole cloves
- Peel of 1 orange (optional)
- 2 litres water
- Sugar to taste (start with about 1 cup)
- Wray & Nephew white rum or red wine, to taste (optional, for the big people)
Method
- If using fresh sorrel, pull the red petals off the seed pods and rinse well. Rinse dried sorrel quickly too.
- Put sorrel, ginger, pimento, cloves and orange peel in a large heatproof pot or jug.
- Bring the water to a boil and pour it over everything. Stir.
- Cover and leave to steep at room temperature overnight, or up to 24 hours. Longer = stronger.
- Strain through a fine sieve or cloth, pressing to get all the liquid out.
- Sweeten while it’s at room temperature, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust.
- Add rum or wine if using, then chill. Serve over ice.
Tips from the yard
- Don’t be shy with the ginger — the burn is the point.
- Sorrel keeps in the fridge for about a week. With rum in it, it keeps longer.
- Freeze some in ice cube trays so your ice doesn’t water it down.
Want the whole Christmas spread? Get our free Jamaican Christmas recipe pack — sorrel, Christmas cake and more. [ALY: newsletter / lead magnet signup block here]
Next up: Jamaican Christmas cake (black cake) — the other half of the Christmas table. [ALY: link once published]
