If there's one drink that says "Christmas is here" across the Caribbean, it's sorrel. Deep ruby-red, spiced with ginger and pimento, and often given a generous splash of white rum, a jug of sorrel on the table means family is gathering. It's a drink our grandmothers made, and it's one of the easiest Caribbean traditions to bring into your own kitchen — as long as you have the right ingredients.
This is the classic Jamaican method, the way most families still make it. No shortcuts, no fuss, just the proper flavours doing their work overnight.
What Is Sorrel, Exactly?
A quick note before we start, because there's confusion around this. Caribbean sorrel isn't the leafy green herb of the same name. It's the dried calyx (the fleshy red bud that surrounds the flower) of Hibiscus sabdariffa. You'll also hear it called roselle, flor de Jamaica, or bissap depending on where in the world you are. What matters is that you're buying the dried red buds — that's what gives the drink its colour, its tartness, and its keeping power.
You can pick up proper dried sorrel from our sorrel range here — we stock it year-round so you're not scrambling in December when everyone else has sold out.
Ingredients
Makes roughly 2 litres (serves 8–10 as a Christmas drink).
- 100g dried sorrel (about 2 loosely packed cups)
- 2 litres water, plus a little extra
- 1 large piece of fresh ginger (around 50g), peeled and roughly sliced
- 6 whole cloves
- 4 pimento berries (allspice)
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Peel of half an orange (no pith)
- 200–300g sugar, to taste (start low, add more later)
- Optional: 100–200ml overproof white rum, or Wray & Nephew if you want it traditional
That's it. No fancy substitutions — every ingredient here is doing a job.
Method
Step 1: Rinse the sorrel. Give the dried buds a quick rinse under cold water to knock off any dust. Don't soak them yet.
Step 2: Bring the water to the boil. In a large non-reactive pan (stainless steel, not aluminium — the acid in sorrel will pit aluminium and taste metallic), bring the 2 litres of water to a rolling boil.
Step 3: Add everything except the sugar and rum. Tip in the sorrel, ginger, cloves, pimento, cinnamon stick, and orange peel. Turn the heat off immediately. You're not simmering — you're steeping. Cover the pan with a tight lid.
Step 4: Steep overnight. Leave it on the counter, covered, for at least 12 hours. 24 is better. This is where the flavour builds. Don't shortcut this step by boiling harder for less time — you'll get a flat, one-note drink.
Step 5: Strain. Pour the whole lot through a fine sieve into a large jug or bowl, pressing the sorrel gently with the back of a spoon to get every last drop. Discard the solids (or save them — some people use them again for a weaker second batch).
Step 6: Sweeten. Stir the sugar in while the liquid is still warm enough to dissolve it. Start with 200g, taste, add more. You want it sweet but with the tartness still cutting through.
Step 7: Add the rum. If you're going traditional, stir in the rum now. This also acts as a natural preservative — a spiked batch keeps a lot longer than a virgin one.
Step 8: Chill and serve. Refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving. Pour over ice. Some people add a splash of Angostura bitters on top of the glass — worth trying.
Tips From Experience
- Don't skip the pimento. People sometimes leave out the allspice berries thinking it's a small thing. It isn't. Pimento is what makes sorrel taste like Caribbean sorrel and not just spiced hibiscus tea.
- Ginger heat is your call. If you like it fiery (the Jamaican way), double the ginger. For a milder version aimed at older relatives or kids, halve it.
- Second brew. After you strain, put the spent sorrel back in a jug with a litre of fresh boiling water, steep another 12 hours, and you've got a lighter batch for anyone who doesn't want the punch of the first.
- Make it early. Sorrel gets better after 2–3 days in the fridge as the flavours settle. Make a batch the weekend before Christmas and it'll peak just in time.
How Long Does It Keep?
In a sealed bottle in the fridge: about a week unspiked, several weeks with rum in it. Freeze it in portions if you want to stretch a batch through January.
Making It in Advance for Christmas
Sorrel is one of those drinks that rewards planning. The buds keep for a year or more in a dry cupboard, so there's no reason to leave it until the shops are picked clean in late December. If you're the person in the family who ends up making the sorrel every year (and if you're reading this, you probably are), buying your dried sorrel in autumn takes the panic out of the whole thing.
Have a look through our full sorrel range — dried buds, and everything you need to get a proper Caribbean Christmas on the table.
