Jamaican (Red Sorrel) Christmas Drink

Serves 12

4 cups picked sorrel sepals*

1-inch piece of ginger root

12 whole cloves seeds

12 whole pimento (allspice) seeds

4 cinnamon leaves or stem rolls

10 cups of water brought to a boil

1 cup brown sugar or more to taste

Lime juice, to taste (optional)

1 tablespoon of rice (optional); this is sometimes added to the brew to aid in fermentation, which adds fizz to stored bottles of the drink.

Directions: 

1. Add sorrel, ginger, spice seeds and leaves to rapidly boiling water. Maintain heat until all returns to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

3. Strain off the sepals, etc.; sweeten the liquid with sugar; and (if using) add lime juice to taste. Add rice, if desired.

4. Bottle and serve chilled. A small amount of rum may be added, if not being served to children or teetotalling adults.

Notes:

Red sorrel is Jamaica’s traditional Christmas drink and would typically not be had at any other time of the year; it is served to visitors along with a small bit of Jamaican Christmas cake throughout the season. Commercialized juices claiming to be “Jamaican hibiscus drink” or juice of “Flor de Jamaica” are likely knock-offs of the worst kind.

*The red sorrel sepals, picked and ready for brewing, are now readily available online.

The featured image, “Silver Trio,” is courtesy of Lancia E. Smith and is used with her glad permission for Cultivating.

Denise Stair-Armstrong

I am Denise Stair Armstrong; born and raised Jamaican. I received all my formal academic education in the land of my birth at Shortwood Teachers’ College and the University of the West Indies, specializing in English Language & Literatures in English. The remainder I’ve gained home educating our three wonderful children – Joseph, Charis and Timothy, parenting them with my husband Claude, and in caring for my wheel-chair bound mother. I enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, theatre and ballroom dancing with Claude (only!) and digging into the Word of God.

My passion is worship expressed primarily through writing inspirational pieces that urge readers not to miss how much the Lord has “cramm’d earth with heaven”. My heart is to encourage them to traverse the gap between all our hearts and the cultures that shape them, via the Bridge that is Calvary’s cross.

denisesarmstrong.com