Ingredients
Base
- 300 gfresh sorrel sepals, or 150 g dried hibiscus
- 3 litresboiling water
Aromatics
- 80 gfresh ginger, sliced or grated
- 12cloves
- 2 stickscinnamon
- the peel of 1 orange
- 6pimento berries, allspice
- 1bay leaf
To sweeten
- 400 gsugar, or to taste
Optional, and traditional
- 150 mldark rum, or more
- a splash of Barbadian falernum
To serve
- over ice, at Christmas
Directions
- Discard the seed pods, which are bitter and add nothing. Rinse the sepals in cold water. Pour boiling water over them and stir.
- Pour boiling water over rather than boiling the sorrel in the pot. Now cover it and leave it to steep for at least 24 hours.
- Stir it occasionally while it steeps.
- Press them lightly rather than wringing them out, which pushes bitterness through. Sweeten it while it is still slightly warm, or warm a little of it to dissolve the sugar.
- Taste as you go. Sorrel is genuinely sour and needs a good deal of sugar, but it should stay sharp rather than becoming syrup.
- Add dark rum to taste, and a good measure is standard rather than a token splash. Bottle it and keep it in the fridge.
- Serve it very cold over ice, in a tall glass.
Technique
- Fresh sorrel appears in Caribbean markets in December and is frozen by many households.
- The same plant is sobolo in Ghana, bissap in Senegal and agua de jamaica in Mexico.
- It is naturally deep red and needs no colouring.
Substitutions
- Dried hibiscus, which is available year round.
- White rum in place of dark, which is lighter.
Variations
- Made without rum, which is how children drink it.
- With falernum added.
- Made into a jam from the spent sepals.
History
Barbadian sorrel bushes flower in December, making the drink inseparable from Christmas on the island.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sorrel?
Sorrel is a drink from Barbados: ruby hibiscus drink steeped with ginger, cloves and orange peel. Barbadian sorrel bushes flower in December, making the drink inseparable from Christmas on the island.
How long does Sorrel take to make?
Sorrel takes 20 min plus 24 hr steeping of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 3 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Sorrel?
Yes, within limits. Dried hibiscus, which is available year round. White rum in place of dark, which is lighter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sorrel?
Pour boiling water over rather than boiling the sorrel in the pot. Now cover it and leave it to steep for at least 24 hours.
