Jamaican Sorrel Drink Recipe (Christmas Hibiscus Punch)
No Jamaican Christmas is complete without a cold glass of sorrel: a ruby-red drink made from dried sorrel (hibiscus) sepals, steeped with fresh ginger, cloves, and pimento berries. It is tangy, spiced, and refreshing — and it sells out fast every December, so order your sorrel early.
Ingredients
- 1 pack (100 g) Grace Dried Sorrel
- 8 cups water
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger, grated or crushed
- 6–8 whole cloves
- 1 tsp pimento berries (allspice), lightly crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon (optional)
- 1–1 1/2 cups sugar, to taste
- Juice of 1 lime or orange
- Optional: a splash of Jamaican white rum or red wine, adults only
Preparation
1. Boil and steep. Bring the water to a boil with the ginger, cloves, pimento, and cinnamon. Pour over the dried sorrel in a large heatproof bowl or pot. Cover and steep at least 4 hours — overnight gives the deepest color and flavor.
2. Strain. Pour through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, pressing the sorrel to extract every drop.
3. Sweeten and brighten. Stir in the sugar while the drink is still slightly warm so it dissolves, then add the citrus juice. Taste: it should be tangy first, sweet second.
4. Chill. Refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice with a slice of orange. Add the rum or wine to individual glasses if you like.
Tips
- Make it ahead: sorrel keeps 2 weeks refrigerated and the flavor improves after a day or two.
- Freeze the base: freeze unsweetened sorrel in bottles and sweeten as you serve.
- In a hurry? We also carry ready-to-drink Tropical Rhythms Sorrel Ginger.
Stock up on dried sorrel and holiday ingredients in our Jamaica collection — Christmas orders ship fast, but the sorrel goes first.
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