Jamaican Sorrel
As a born-and-raised Jamaican, I've been making this Jamaican sorrel drink every year for basically my entire life. This recipe lets you make this staple Jamaican Christmas drink with either fresh or dried sorrel. And, if you're feeling extra festive, add an optional splash of Wray & Nephew white rum and Red Label wine for the full Jamaican experience.
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!
For quicker drinks to complement Sunday dinners, try this easy cucumber juice recipe or this soursop juice recipe!
Recipe Overview: Jamaican Sorrel
✅ Recipe Name: Jamaican Sorrel
🕒 Ready In: 6 hours & 15 minutes (only 15 minutes active prep)
👪 Servings: 2 Liters
🍽 Calories: 140 calories (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: sorrel (hibiscus) flower, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange & limes.
👌 Difficulty: Easy! Steep, sweeten & enjoy!
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Why You'll Love This Sorrel Juice
- It's literally Caribbean Christmas in a glass! From the aroma filling the kitchen while it steeps to finally pouring it over ice, this Caribbean Christmas drink will take you back! Add to the nostalgia with a slice of Jamaican black cake.
- You control the alcohol. In Jamaica, spirits like Red Label wine and Wray & Nephew white rum are often added but this festive Christmas drink doesn't need it to be delicious. Skip the alcohol altogether for a drink all of the family can enjoy!
- It's the perfect additon to your Christmas table! Ruby red, spiced and spiked if that's your vibe! Make a big batch in advance to serve alongside your jerk turkey and this Jamaican rice and beans recipe.
Don't just take my word for it, one reader says:
"★★★★★ This recipe is perfect!! I've never made sorrel before and after moving from Jamaica to California I definitely started missing it especially in the cooler months. This recipe tastes EXACTLY like my grandma and aunts make!!!! Even my mommy was impressed!! Great recipe"
- Toniann
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Key Ingredients
Sorrel hibiscus flowers. Jamaican sorrel uses the roselle (hibiscus saffraida) flower. In Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, it is typically made with fresh hibiscus flowers, but dried flowers will give you the exact same result, and they are readily available in the US. If you can't find them in your local international store, you can order dried sorrel hibiscus flowers online!
Spices. Ginger is a must for sorrel juice, but there are several other spices that are often incorporated, mostly depending on the region of Jamaica. While in places like Kingston the drink may be entirely ginger-forward, my family's sorrel drink recipe balances ginger with cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice. It's the flavor I've known across where I grew up in May Pen and my father's family in St. Ann, and not as harsh as ginger-forward counterparts.
Alcohol (optional). Traditionally, most times it's safe to assume that any Jamaican sorrel you're served may have alcohol, but not always! Thanks to the additional spices, sorrel makes an exquisite non-alcoholic festive Christmas drink.
How to Make Jamaican Sorrel
- Step 1: Rinse sorrel with cold water to get rid of any grit.
- Step 2: Add all the ingredients to a stockpot and boil for 2 minutes.
- Step 3: Allow the sorrel to steep overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- Step 4: Strain, sweeten, and enjoy over ice!
FAQs
Yes but when shopping, specify sorrel flower to avoid confusion with sorrel leaves - a completely different plant.
Assuming you're not in the Caribbean and don't have fresh sorrel available at every market, your best bet will be to find dried sorrel flowers. I get mine any time of year at my local international food store but it's also widely available online. Be sure to get hibiscus sorrel flower since sorrel leaves are a different plant.
You may see it labeled under different names like flor de Jamaica.
No, since the flower is ground into smaller bits, it looses some of it's essential oils. This means you'll end up with a drink that is more muted in flavor and richness. Stick with the whole dried flowers for an authentic Jamaican sorrel recipe.
Some do! While it's not something I grew up doing, parts of Jamaica do traditionally put some sorrel grains in the pitcher once the sorrel has been prepared. This helps to mute any bitter flavors and bring the citrusy notes forward. Depending on how much is added, it can also give the sorrel a smoother mouthfeel.
tips for the best Jamaican sorrel drink
- Don't boil your sorrel hibiscus petals for an extended period. 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 allspice 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 you 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 recipe is perfect!! I’ve never made sorrel before and after moving from Jamaica to California I definitely started missing it especially in the cooler months. This recipe tastes EXACTLY like my grandma and aunts make!!!! Even my mommy was impressed!! Great recipe
I'm so happy to hear you love the recipe Toniann!
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!!