Christmas time in the Caribbean is very festive, you have tons of food and drinks. One of the many drinks you will find is this West Indian Sorrel Drink.
It’s the Christmas season, which means that I am excited to share some amazing holiday recipes. One of the many recipes I am excited to share with you guys is this Traditional West Indian Sorrel Drink recipe.
Sorrel (also called Roselle) is a type of Hibiscus flower which is grown throughout the Caribbean. Although it is grown in the Caribbean, its origins can be traced back to West Africa. In the Caribbean, Sorrel is mostly used for the famous Sorrel Juice/Drink.
In the Caribbean, we use the term drink quite frequently to describe a homemade juice. So basically this recipe should be called sorrel juice but when you ask anyone they will say drink. I always found that funny.
Although this might look and sound like a lot of work or complicated to some folks, it really isn’t. Once you have the right ingredients and cooking time then you will have good results. Thankfully, I have tested this recipe and I really think I have made it close to perfection.
Before diving into the recipe, I thought I should share some TIPS & TRICKS with you guys first:
TIPS & TRICKS
- Sorrel: Since most of you aren’t located in the Caribbean, you are probably wondering where you can sorrel. I would usually suggest using only the fresh stuff but the dried sorrel. Thanks to the internet, you can order them on Amazon and get them shipped to you. If you are using fresh sorrel then I suggest removing the seed on the inside. All you have to do is peel off the leaves and set them aside. I usually tend to boil just the sorrel leaves, I would like to think that it helps with the taste but that would be pushing it. Of course if you are using the dried sorrel then you can skip the peeling process and just add them to a pot of boiling water.
- Spices & stuff: In addition to the sorrel being the most important ingredient, the spices are equally as important. I cannot make sorrel drink without my orange peel, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Besides the sorrel leaves giving this recipe its taste, the spices help kick it up a notch. The spices are crucial to making this recipe taste amazing. Some other West Indians would use different types of spices but I grew up on my combination. Hopefully, you will enjoy the combination of spices as well.
Recipe video:
Traditional West Indian Sorrel Drink
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sorrel flowers
- 6 cups Water for boiling
- 1 & 1/2 cups Brown sugar
- 1 medium Slice of fresh ginger peeled
- 6-8 Cloves
- 2 Orange peel
- 2 Cinnamon stick
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Remove the flower from the seed and thoroughly wash the flower.
- Over medium-low heat, add 6 cups of water, the sorrel, ginger, cloves, orange peel and cinnamon sticks.
- Stir everything and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- Mix in the brown sugar and lime juice and let it dissolve.
- Let it steep for at least one hour or even overnight.
- After strain into pitcher and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Now, let’s get into it.
Other Caribbean drinks you may enjoy:
