Sorrel Drink (recipe)
Filed Under pareve, beverages, vegetarian | Posted on November 22, 2006
Christmas in Trinidad is a diverse multicultural affair. Not just for the Christian population, but also through the secular participation of the nation at large through the enjoyment of our local christmas songs (called parang) and especially the creation and consumption of our traditional Christmas foods. No Christmas in Trinidad would be complete without some rum-soaked black cake cold thick Punch de Creme, piping hot pastelles or a cold refreshing glass of sorrel.
Sorrel, made from the sepals, of the sorrel flower is fruity and fragrant. I have fond memories of sitting at my aunt’s feet as a child, helping her to handpick the flowers. The seed of the sorrel is covered with fine prickly hairs that eventually find their way into the pads of your fingers. They are not painful but definitely annoying! A friend once told me that the petals are quite delicious raw with some salt. At first I thought she was insane but once I tried it I was hooked.
Similar in taste to hibiscus tea, sorrel becomes even more heavenly with the addition of rum 
Made properly your sorrel should be thick and syrupy. Fear not, just dilute it with some cold water, club soda when serving.
Recipe:
5 to 6 (1-inch) slices ginger
1 cup dried sorrel petals
1 tablespoon cloves
Brown sugar syrup (1 cup water + 1 lb brown sugar boiled together)
Dark rum, optional
1. Let cut ginger sit for 2 to 3 hours. The longer it sits the stronger it becomes.
2. Boil ginger in 2 quarts of water.
3. Once water is boiling, add sorrel and cloves.
4. Boil for 30 minutes.
5. Cover tightly and steep overnight.
6. Strain and add sugar syrup and rum to taste.
7. Chill and serve.
Makes 4 servings
*Sorrel flowers are harvested around November and December. For those not in the Caribbean they can be purchased pre-packaged from Caribbean or African stores.
Sorrel for sale in a Trinidadian market
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11 Responses to “Sorrel Drink (recipe)”
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NICE I was trying to explain to people here what sorrell was.
Now I can
hee i’m so glad!
you can use the Tell-A-Friend link to easily email the entry to people 
celebration. In northern India guests are always greeted with a cup of chai ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú hot milky Darjeeling or Assam tea flavoured with green, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole peppercorns and fresh ginger. Now that?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s what I call a warm welcome. [IMG ]Sorrel Sarina Nicole from TriniGourmet Trinidad and Tobago Christmas in Trinidad would not be complete without a cold refreshing glass of sorrel, made from the sepals of the sorrel flower. This fruity, fragrant drink tastes similar to hibiscus and also
Where I can buy sorrell here in the US? I love sorrell but I can’t find it here in USA. Is any one knows how to get it or have a web site for it. Thanks
I love the color of that dried hibiscus…bring me back home. to puerto rico. In PR we call the drink sorrel, Jamaica. Tutty…you can find it in Latino or carribbean stores in the US
do you have a recipe for sorrel ice cream and is the above recipe the syrup we buy in a bottle in the grocery store
I know this may be late coming, but in reference to the person asking where you can get sorrel from, i would always get from alot of the jamaican and halal food restaraunts when i would go with my husband to visit his family in Brooklyn. That’s where i first heard about it and fell in love with it.
I Love Sorrel.. Every Year Around Christmas time My Grandma Makes It For The Family. Its Nice To Sit In The Living Room With Your Family Drinking A Cold Glass Of Sorrel While Listening To Parang Soca.
Its Just A Trini Thing!
I had sorrel for the frist time this Christmas. What a wonderful treat for my son and myself. We loved it so much that I begged Mother Grant to make us some more. Between this and green tea and water I can not see us drinking to many other drinks. I will keep some on hand without the (rum).
Thanks so much for shareing a real treat.
Currently we are raising three differ types of Sorrel plants to product a Sorrel drink
If any one interested please reply back subject title “SORREL”: let me know
Thank You
David L. Wasler
dwasler@yahoo.com
It’s amazing how connected we all are! From the continent East and West to the Islands North and South. We all have a version of Sorrel…I enjoy a cup of Sudanese hibbiscus tea(their version of Sorrel) or sweet West African bisap mixed with ginger anyway it’s all the same and equally delicious.