This really easy to make Jamaican Sorrel Drink is refreshing, festive and unique and perfect for entertaining throughout the holiday season.
Drink lovers might also like Non Alcoholic Sangria, Peach Lemonade and Jamaican Rum Punch.
Suitable for gluten free and vegan diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Jamaican Sorrel Drink is a popular festive holiday beverage all over the Caribbean. The unique flavor combination of sorrel and seasonal spices is sure to become a new favorite tradition over!!
Growing up in Sierra Leone, bissap juice (known as hibiscus juice across most of Africa and zobo drink in Nigeria) was also family favorite during the holidays.
Related Link : Best Ever Jamaican Rice And Peas.
Served at all of our family celebrations and gatherings, adults and kids alike quenched their thirst with this deliciously cheerful red bissap juice drink. Serve in chilled glasses or Mason Jars.
What is Sorrel Drink?
What is Sorrel Drink, exactly? Sorrel is the Jamaican name for a type of hibiscus flower known as the Roselle.
The dried sepals of the hibiscus flower (not the petals) create a versatile and colorful red juice when infused with hot water and spices such as ginger and allspice.
The drink itself quite tart and does need sweetening.
You will find sorrel in African, Caribbean and sometimes Asian markets or shops but if all else fails you can order some from an online retailer. The dried flowers last for quite a while when stored in an airtight Mason Jar.
And while this is a refreshing drink that is enjoyed all year long, its festive color and delicious spiced flavor really is perfectly suited for Christmas.
Related Link : Jamaican Rum Punch.
So, are you ready to spice up your holiday celebrations? Then gather up those ingredients and let me show you…..
How To Make Jamaican Sorrel Drink
Ingredients:
- water
- dried sorrel
- grated fresh ginger
- allspice berries
- cloves
- orange peel
- simple syrup or maple syrup, to sweeten
Make It:
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Add in sorrel, ginger, berries, cloves, and orange peel.
- Let mixture steep for about an hour in the pan.
- Meanwhile, make the simple syrup (follow my easy recipe below) and set aside.
- Strain sorrel juice into a pitcher and sweeten with maple syrup, to taste.
- Serve over ice and garnish with orange and lime wedges.
How to Make Simple Sugar Syrup
Making your own simple syrup is quite easy.
Just add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup of water to a saucepan, and cook on low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. As soon as sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let it cool.
For a thicker syrup, you can use a 2:1 ratio. Add 2 cups sugar and 1 cup of water to a saucepan, and cook until sugar is dissolved.
If you do make a thicker syrup like this, note that you will need to use less to your cocktail. Spice jars are great for storing leftover syrup.
Related Link : Non-Alcoholic Sangria:
Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses dried sorrel. If using fresh hibiscus, the drink will be a lighter red.
- For a deeper red color, add a few more tablespoons of sorrel.
- When entertaining a crowd, simply double (or even triple) this recipe.
- Prep it ahead of time and just store in the fridge until needed.
- Use a sharp knife to cut off the peel from an orange if you need to.
Delicious Variations
- Make it into a punch – spike it with rum for a delicious adults-only version.
- Add fruit – colourful fruit slices will add to the festive look.
- Vary the sweetener – feel free to sweeten with maple syrup or honey.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container and store for up to 1 week.
More Jamaican Recipes
- Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
- Jamaican Rum Punch
- Jamaican Sorrel Moscow Mule
- Jamaican Rice And Peas Recipe.
- Instant Pot Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
- Jamaican Curried Goat
- Jamaican Carrot Soup
- Jamaican Mackerel Run Down.
Serving Suggestions
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Pumpkin and Plantain Curry
- Jamaican Curried Goat
- Air Fryer Pork Chops
Weight Watchers Points
There is 1 Freestyle SmartPoint in a serving of this beverage.
Thank you for reading my hibiscus juice drink / Jamaican Sorrel recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Originally published Dec 2019.
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Jamaican Sorrel Drink Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups (1.89 L) water
- 2 cups (256g) dried sorrel
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 4 cloves
- orange peel
- simple sugar syrup or maple syrup to sweeten
Instructions
- Boil water in pot.
- Add in sorrel, ginger, berries, cloves, orange peel and let steep for about 1 hr.
- While mixture is steeping, make the sugar syrup.
- Strain sorrel juice into a pitcher and sweeten with syrup, to taste.
- Serve your drink over ice and garnish with orange and lime wedges.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses dried sorrel. If using fresh hibiscus, the drink will be a lighter red.
- For a deeper red color, add more sorrel.
- When entertaining a crowd, simply double (or even triple) this recipe.
- Prep it ahead of time and just store in the fridge until needed.
- Spike it with rum for a delicious adults-only version.
Serving Suggestions
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Pumpkin and Plantain Curry
- Jamaican Curried Goat
- Air Fryer Pork Chops
It’s cool that this drink is Suitable for gluten-free and vegan diets, top choice for those who do not consume alcohol or similar drinks. I will keep this recipe for myself as I like variety, thank you for the idea! In general, I really like to cook such things with friends on weekends, on vacation, of course, with alcohol in most cases) as for this topic, I recently read interesting materials on a useful source, more info here on the lowering the drinking age essays, which with different points of view and positions reveals this issue and outlines the situation as a whole, I personally do not consider it necessary to lower the minimum threshold of age, what are your thoughts, friends?
This drink is so perfect for the holidays. I will definitely put it on the menu around Christmas time. Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
I love this recipe. So many nice flavors. I must look for sorrel where I am. The blog post and tips are very helpful.
Oh wow, the flavors in this drink sound delightful!
I discovered sorrel only a few years ago. I look forward to this time of the year. I collect and dry the flowers for year round use.
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I love this. It literally tastes like Christmas
Love a good cocktail with a kick! Looking forward to enjoying this all season long! Delish!
I’ve never heard of sorrel before this but I love all the warm flavors. Such a warm drink.
What a beautiful and colorful spiced holiday drink! Adding this to our holiday menu!
what a delightful light drink! Putting this on our holiday happy hour menu! It passed our taste test!
I love the color, they are so pretty and so festive looking. This is going to be so perfect for Christmas. Thanks for sharing. 🙂