Jamaican Sorrel Drink
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This Jamaican sorrel drink is a must at Christmas-time with fragrant hibiscus flower petals steeped alongside spices and infused with Jamaica's robust Wray & Nephew white rum and Red Label Wine.
Sorrel is very easy to make - only requiring staple holiday spices and some time. To your benefit, I've only ever made this recipe every year, throughout the year for my entire life so rest assured that you'll have a delicious Jamaican sorrel drink that will be so popular it probably won't last the night!
tips for the best Jamaican sorrel drink
- Don't boil your sorrel hibiscus petals. Flowers as well as many herbs and spices contain a component called "terpenes" that are partly responsible for flavors and aromas but if these terpenes are exposed to harsh heat for an extended period the flavor can become quite bitter and acrid. Instead, bring water to a boil then turn off the heat before adding the hibiscus sorrel petals - this allows the heat to gently draw out flavor without making it bitter
- Add booze a little at a time. The traditional additions to Jamaican sorrel drink are typically Wray & Nephew white overproof rum and Red Label Wine. Though the red wine is a little more forgiving, adding too much white rum could cause your sorrel to taste more "medicine-like". If you like a more boozy flavor I recommend adding more red wine or opting for a quality dark rum, like Appleton Estate rums that often have a smoother and sweeter flavor
- Use fresh spices if you can. Freshly cracked all spice and cinnamon sticks will deliver way more flavor than their pre-ground alternatives. Not only that but you can control how fine you grate or grind your spices, allowing them to be easily strained so there's no sediment at the bottom of your bottle.
- Sub in traditional Red Label Wine for port wine or your favorite dessert red wine. Red label wine can be hard to find, especially outside of the Caribbean so you're ok to sub in your favorite port wine.
- Double strain your sorrel. We use a lot of spices and, as mentioned before, grind or crack them for maximum flavor. Straining through at least 2 layers (like a fine-meshed strainer and cheesecloth) helps to ensure don't end up with sediment in your glass!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Using a mortar & pestle, crush the whole nutmeg and allspice seeds into smaller chunks.Do not grind to powder. The aim here is only to expose the insides so that they release more flavor.
- Peel the orange, saving the rind. Juice the orange and add the orange juice to the pot along with the rind.Discard the pith.
- Rinse the dried sorrel leaves with cold water to get rid of any grit. Only use about 4-6 cups for this to avoid losing excess flavor.
- Add the rinsed sorrel leaves, crushed nutmeg, crushed allspice, cinnamon sticks, ginger and water to the pot with the orange juice and rind.Cover, bring to boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to steep, covered for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.When ready, the leaves should have mostly sunk to the bottom of the pot.
- Set up your fine meshed strainer over a clean pot/bowl. Drape the cheesecloth over the fine meshed strainer. I use 3-4 layers of cheesecloth to ensure no fine bits of spices slip through.
- Strain the steeped sorrel through the strainer/cheesecloth, squeezing the sorrel leaves in the cheesecloth to get all the juice out. You may need to do this in batches.
- If using, add the Wray & Nephew white rum rum and the Red Label wine.
- Add juice from the limes and granulated sugar to taste. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 10 days.
Nutrition
Notes
- Red Label Wine can be hard to find. You can sub in your favorite dessert wine
- Do not add the lime rind to the sorrel at any stage. Lime has more bitter compounds that can make the sorrel drink bitter
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This drink is amazing and refreshing!!
I would pay an ungodly amount of money to have this pumped directly into my veins!! So Good!! Must have with any occasion!!