Sorrel drink is a tangy beverage infused with warm spices often served at Christmastime and New Year's in several parts of the Caribbean.
Learn how to make sorrel drink from scratch!
There are some recipes that are so ingrained in our family traditions, we can sometimes take them for granted. This sorrel drink recipe is like that for me.
We don’t make a ton of Caribbean foods at home, simply because a lot of the classic recipes take a long time to make, or require ingredients that are difficult to find here in Canada.
But my mom has always tried to bring elements of Trinidadian cuisine into our holiday celebrations, with recipes like pone, sweet bread, and this sorrel drink recipe.
Growing up, this ruby-coloured beverage would show up around Christmastime and stick around straight through the New Year.
At first, I didn’t take much notice of it - preferring to drink my mom’s sparkling cranberry punch instead.
But eventually, I came to know sorrel drink as the nicer one of two Trinidadian beverages that my parents would have in the house during the holidays.
(The other drink being something called Mauby – a bitter drink made from special tree bark, which I have never liked!!!)
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🤔 What is Sorrel Drink?
If you've never had this chilled Caribbean beverage before, you can think of sorrel drink as a Christmassy lemonade.
We make the drink by steeping the calyxes of the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) plant (which we call sorrel) and flavouring the mixture with warm spices.
The drink is tangy and is served cold, making it a refreshing alternative to the heavier winter drinks like hot cocoa or hot chocolate.
🍊 Ingredients
- dried sorrel (a.k.a. roselle or hibiscus sabdariffa)
- water
- cinnamon sticks
- star anise
- fresh orange peel
- white sugar
If you saw my spiced apple cider recipe, you know that my family loves to cook with star anise, and that flavour is key to our version of sorrel drink, too.
We call this recipe “sorrel”, based on the Roselle hibiscus plant that it’s made from, but there is a leafy green called sorrel, too. The two plants are completely unrelated, so make sure you have the right ingredient before you get started!
📖 Recipe Variations
Like so many Caribbean recipes, including my beloved macaroni pie, there are many different variations of this drink.
- Ginger, cinnamon, orange peel and cloves are popular flavour additions.
- Sometimes allspice and bay leaf are also added.
- While you can add rum or other alcohol to this drink, we've always enjoyed it as a non-alcoholic drink at my house.
🍷 How to Make Sorrel Drink
Some sorrel recipes require you to steep the mixture for hours, or leave it overnight to develop the flavours.
We prefer to use a lot of spices and bring the mixture to a simmer, so that the mixture can become flavourful in a shorter period of time.
However, if you prefer a really strong brew, you can still leave the mixture in the fridge overnight to really intensify the flavours.
We use fresh sorrel for this recipe when it’s available (which isn’t often), but dried sorrel works equally well.
Since dried sorrel tends to be easier to find, I’ve based my recipe on that. You can find dried sorrel at Caribbean speciality stores or large grocery stores. Otherwise, you can buy sorrel online at Amazon.
Using Fresh Sorrel
If you want to use fresh sorrel, be sure to at least double the amount that you use. The dried sepals have a much stronger flavour than the fresh (much like dried herbs).
How to Sweeten and Dilute the Drink
You will probably need to add a lot of sugar to balance out the acidity of the sorrel.
We never sweeten the whole pitcher. Instead, we leave the strained sorrel in the fridge and then everyone can adjust their glass with sugar and water to their preference.
I like to dilute mine a little bit, and add a teaspoon or two of sugar to my glass.
The last thing to keep in mind is that steeped sorrel is sometimes used as a natural pigment to dye fabric, meaning that this stuff will stain anything it touches.
Just something to keep in mind before you decide to make this while wearing a nice white sweater!
Have you tried sorrel before? Let me know in the comments!
🙋🏽♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
It can be. We don't usually add alcohol to our recipe, but you can add white or dark rum to the finished drink. Just adjust the amount to your preference.
No. Not all hibiscus flowers are safe to consume. Sorrel drink is made by steeping the calyxes of the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) plant, and should not be substituted with other types of hibiscus plants.
It's best to store this drink in a glass bottle, as it is likely to stain plastic. A clean empty wine bottle with a screw-top lid is perfect (in case you'd rather not buy a glass bottle).
Recipe
Caribbean Sorrel Drink
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried sorrel (roselle/hibiscus sabdariffa)
- 10 cups water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise whole
- 2 pieces orange peel fresh (2-3 inches)
- 2 teaspoon white sugar or more (to taste)
Method
- Combine all ingredients, except the sugar, in a large pot.
- Gently simmer for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours to infuse.
- Strain the mixture into a glass pitcher. Set in fridge to chill.
- When ready to serve, sweeten and/or dilute the mixture to your preference. Serve over ice.
- Store in a glass bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It is normal to see some sediment in the bottle after a few days.
Imogheena says
Huh, how interesting.
Our family was having a chat about christmas on our collective chat a few months ago. One of my West Indian-Canadian cousins talked of how much she loved christmas in the West Indies, including a mentioned 'sorrel drink'.
(I loved the sound of the music and dancing, and am considering finding some West Indians here in Darwin to ask if I can join in :-D)
My brother, who lives in Italy, was most intrigued by the idea of making a drink spiced drink from sorrel and plans to make it this christmas.
But there was something at the back of my mind warning me this wasn't quite right somehow.
Anyway, I'm looking at buying some seeds for my garden for the coming wet season and saw mention of a plant called 'West Indian sorrel' and that's when it clicked. Mostly we call it Rosella here, but I did vaguely know one of the other common names it is called in other places is West Indian Sorrel. I went looking for some clarification about exactly what
plant is used in the drink and saw a link to this post. The moment I saw the drink itself I'm like 'ahuh, that's Rosella colour!'
I'd better let my brother know he might not be getting the same taste of drink as our cousin makes if he uses the sorrel that grows wild round his place in Italy. He knows it as Rosella too, as we grew up here.
On the bright side I can dry him some Rosella and send it over. Maybe my cousin in Canada would love some too!
And given I can easily get some myself, whereas I wouldn't even know what the Italian version of it even smells like, I can make some of this mystical West Indian sorrel drink myself!
Can I just make sure, you're talking about the flower calyx? not the leaves? Or both?
Shareba says
Hi Imogheena, yes we use the flower calyx. I have more details on the sorrel hibiscus that we use here: https://insearchofyummyness.com/sorrel-roselle-hibiscus/. You'd want to use the Hibiscus sabdariffa variety, which has a lemony flavour. It's important to be careful as not all hibiscus plants are edible, so your instincts to check into it was smart! I buy my sorrel dried, which can be found here in Canada at West Indian stores or speciality stores. I am trying to grow some myself but so far the plant hasn't grown any flowers at all. I'm not sure about the Italian version at all, unfortunately. Anyways, I hope that helps a bit!
Kate says
Hi
It's so nice of you to share your family receipes with us all. This isn't a drink I've ever heard of in the UK before but today i found "Carib Shandy - Sorrel Oseille" (low alcholo sorrel with hops) in a UK Tesco. It is lovely!
Now i've found your website i'm looking forward to trying a non- alcohol version if I can find all the ingredients here to make it.
Like the sound of Carribean Chelsea Buns too so I'm off to investigate your other pages.
Shareba says
Hi Kate, thank you for your kind comment! I hope you can find the ingredients to make the sorrel - it's quite tasty. Feel free to let me know if there are any recipes that you are looking for. All the best!
Carol Wright says
Refreshingly delicious.
Shareba says
I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Lyn Bristol says
I am not from Trinidad, but still from the Caribbean (Saint Lucia). My mother would make the sorrel, as per your recipe, but would ADD RICE (I never knew what amount) after steeping for about 8 - 12 hours, so that the sorrel drink would ferment in a large glass goblet for about one week. What would transpire is that the sorrel drink would be fizzy!! She also added pure brown sugar AFTER the fermentation period (to taste), then refrigerate the drink. Unfortunately, I never wrote down quantities/amounts of my mother's recipe - she usually just "put" or "added" "potluck" quantities as was her custom. But, her sorrel always turned out great - when served with plenty ice!! I make my own sorrel drink now, but minus the rice fermentation - I'm too scared to spoil a good thing!!
Shareba says
Hi Lyn, thanks for sharing your story! That's so interesting!! I've never heard of anyone doing that, but I'd love to try it one day. Fizzy fermented sorrel sounds really delicious!
Zoe says
Hello.
My friend has tried to do this with dried petals but keeps getting gelatinous lumps in her drink. What is she doing wrong?
Shareba says
Hi Zoe, that interesting... I'm not entirely sure what could be causing that. You do have to strain the mixture, but I don't know what would be causing "gelatinous lumps" in the liquid. Infusing sorrel into water usually results in a fairly thin liquid, and you're just straining the spices and petals out. Do you know if the recipe she's following is similar to mine? Maybe she's adding something else that could cause that texture? It's difficult for me to say without knowing what she's doing exactly. Sorry!
Shareba says
Hi again Zoe, I just had a thought! A fellow food blogger makes jam from sorrel and I remember her talking about the natural pectin in the seeds. I just took a look at her blog post to check, and she says "the seed capsule when boiled creates a natural pectin or thickener". The dried sorrel that I use does not contain the seed capsule, but maybe the kind your friend uses does? That would explain "the lumps. Here's the blog post for the jam in case it's helpful: https://www.oliveandmango.com/sorrel-jam-a-gorgeous-spread-with-a-unique-flavour/
Sadie says
I had Sorrel a few Years ago at Christmas Dinner with a friend & her parents …they are from Trinidad…her Mom had a pitcher of Simple syrup out beside the pitcher of Sorrel…I really enjoyed it.
Shareba says
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! That's a smart way to serve it, with simple syrup on the side. Thanks for sharing that tip!
Evelyn says
Hi! How much cloves would you recommend?
Shareba says
Hi Evelyn, for this quantity I'd add 4 whole cloves and see if you like the flavour. If you want it stronger, go up to 6 and try it again. You can always add a few more, but starting with too many might overpower the drink. I hope that helps!
anthony says
i love it
Shareba says
Thank you!
Lola says
Gyal it's one of the best drinks 😍 that and groseille
Shareba says
I LOVE sorrel, but I haven't had groseille before! What is it?