Ingredients
The steep
- 150 gdried sorrel (hibiscus sabdariffa calyces), or 400 g fresh calyces, stripped from the seed pods
- 2 litreswater, just boiled
- 60 gfresh ginger, sliced and bruised
- 12whole cloves
- 2cinnamon sticks
- 1strip orange peel
- 4pimento (allspice) berries, cracked
To finish
- 300–400 ggranulated or demerara sugar, to taste
- Juice of 1 lime
- 120 mldark rum, optional but usual at Christmas
- Ice, to serve
Directions
- If using fresh sorrel, strip the fleshy red calyces from the green seed pods with your thumb or a small knife; the pods are bitter and should be discarded.
- Rinse the calyces briefly, put them in a large heatproof bowl or enamel pot with the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, orange peel and pimento.
- Pour over the just-boiled water, stir once and cover. Do not boil the sorrel: boiling strips the bright red colour and leaves a stewed, jammy taste.
- Leave to steep at room temperature for at least 8 hours, or overnight, until the liquid is a deep ruby and tastes sharply tart, almost like cranberry.
- Strain through a sieve lined with muslin, pressing gently on the solids. Press hard and the drink turns cloudy.
- Sweeten while still faintly warm, stirring the sugar in until it fully dissolves, then add the lime juice, which lifts and fixes the colour.
- Taste and adjust with water or sugar. It should be tart-forward with the clove and ginger arriving on the finish.
- Add the rum if using, bottle and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve very cold over ice. It keeps a week refrigerated and improves for the first three days.
Technique
- Sorrel here is hibiscus, not the green garden leaf. In Antigua it is a Christmas drink above all, made in bulk in the days before the holiday because it needs time to sit.
- The fresh calyces come into season around December, which is why the drink is tied to Christmas across the Caribbean.
- Some households add a spoon of rice or leave the sweetened drink out for a day to develop a slight fizz. If you do, bottle in plastic and refrigerate once it bubbles.
Substitutions
- No sorrel at all: dried hibiscus flowers sold for tea are the same plant and work identically.
- Replace half the sugar with 150 ml cane syrup for a rounder finish.
Variations
- Jamaican sorrel, heavier on the ginger and usually spiked with overproof white rum.
- A sorrel and ginger beer shandy, mixed half and half over ice.
- Sorrel syrup, reduced from the concentrate and used over ice with soda.
History
Antiguan households brew it for Christmas, sometimes fortifying the jug with rum.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sorrel drink?
Sorrel drink is a drink from Antigua and Barbuda: hibiscus steeped with clove and ginger, sweetened and chilled. Antiguan households brew it for Christmas, sometimes fortifying the jug with rum.
How long does Sorrel drink take to make?
Sorrel drink takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min, plus 8 hr steeping and chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Sorrel drink?
Yes, within limits. No sorrel at all: dried hibiscus flowers sold for tea are the same plant and work identically. Replace half the sugar with 150 ml cane syrup for a rounder finish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sorrel drink?
Pour over the just-boiled water, stir once and cover. Do not boil the sorrel: boiling strips the bright red colour and leaves a stewed, jammy taste.
