Jamaican Sorrel Drink

Hello all! I am really excited for today’s post, because I FINALLY get to post the recipe that serves as the inspiration for this blog: Sorrel.

A lot of people have asked me why I chose the name Sweet & Sorrel. When I got the idea for this blog, I knew I wanted it to be inspired by the things I ate growing up in a Caribbean household, and it was important to me that the name of the blog reflect that as well.

I spent time thinking about some of my favorite foods and (after deciding that Oxtail wasn’t going to fit neatly into a blog name), I settled on Sweet & Sorrel. Sorrel is the name for a Jamaican drink that is made with dried sorrel (i.e. hibiscus) flowers, ginger, spices, and (of course) rum.

This drink means a lot to me and I’m so delighted to share it with you all. No twists, no amendments, just my mom’s recipe.

Sorrel is usually a special event drink (because it takes a lot of time and patience to make), and is most often served at Christmas. To be honest, it’s not just the drink that holds a special place in my heart, its the memories that are invoked whenever I drink sorrel. I think about the long hours of prep my mom does to make sure the sorrel is just right, waking up early to patiently steep the dried sorrel leaves overnight until the mixture reaches the perfect potency. I think about family gathered around (often multiple tables because our family is so large!), eating black cake, drinking sorrel, and just delighting to be in each others’ presence. But don’t get me wrong, sorrel tastes pretty amazing!

It’s hard to describe exactly how sorrel tastes. It’s truly unique, so you’ll just have to give it a try! Trust me, you won’t regret it! As usual, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Ingredients

• 2 gallons water
• 2 cups dried sorrel
• 1 to 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 tbsp white or red rum
• 6 pimento seeds

Directions

1. Blend 1/2 cup of water and peeled ginger, until ginger is completely pureed.
2. In a large pot, bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. Add the ginger puree,  dried sorrel leaves, and pimento. Cover pot and let the sorrel steep overnight.
3. After the sorrel steeps, strain the mixture and discard the sorrel leaves and pimento. Add the strained sorrel to a pitcher and stir in rum and granulated sugar. If you like your mixture sweet, add more sugar. Refrigerate sorrel for at least 4 hours before serving.