North America → Jamaica → Kingston (Surrey)
🥤 DRINK

Sorrel Drink

A spiced, ruby-red hibiscus drink steeped with ginger and cloves, Jamaica's taste of Christmas.
Jamaican · easy · serves 8
prep 10 min · cook 15 min · plus 4 h hands-off time
~114 cal · 0g protein · 29g carbs · 0g fat · 1g fiber · 28g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
Pitcher of deep red spiced sorrel drink with ginger
AI-generated illustration
Sorrel is the drink of Christmas in Jamaica and across much of the Caribbean, a deep ruby-red infusion whose appearance each December signals the arrival of the holidays. It is as much a part of the season as the carols and the cake.
It is made from the dried sepals of a hibiscus species (called sorrel or roselle), steeped with ginger, cloves, and citrus peel, then strained and sweetened. Many households spike the adult version with white rum or wine, and it is often left to develop for a day or two.
Tart, spiced, and refreshing, served cold over ice, sorrel is the taste of Jamaican celebration and family gatherings.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.

Make it yours

✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.

Ingredients

Serves 8
  • 2 cups dried sorrel (hibiscus) sepals
    Hard to find? dried hibiscus (flor de jamaica) from a Mexican grocer - the same flower under another name; Mexican jamaica can run more tart, so taste before adding all the sugar
  • 3 in piece fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 6 pimento (allspice) berries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • from 1 orange orange peel
  • 10 cups water
  • to taste white rum (optional)

Instructions

  • 1
    Bring the water to a boil with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange peel.
    ✎ Chef’s note
    A cinnamon stick alongside the ginger and pimento is what gives Jamaican sorrel its warm, spiced Christmas character.
  • 2
    Pour over the sorrel, turn off the heat, and steep at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • 3
    Strain out the solids.
  • 4
    Sweeten to taste (and add a little rum if you like).
  • 5
    Chill well and serve over ice.
Kingston Christmas tradition.

Ratings & reviews

Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers, know your destination

📍
Kingston (Surrey). Kingston's own contribution is the patty, and it is a layered object: a Cornish pasty crust turned yellow with turmeric, an empanada's shape, Scotch bonnet heat from the Americas, curry from Indian indenture and scallion from Chinese. Bruce's opened in Kingston in 1930; Chinese Jamaican bakeries later built Tastee in 1966 and Juici in 1978 out of the same product.
🗺️
Jamaica. Jerk belongs to Portland parish on the northeast coast, and Boston Bay is where people go for it. The technique descends from the Maroons, communities of escaped enslaved Africans who cooked meat slowly over smouldering wood in the island's interior, and pimento, which the rest of the world calls allspice, supplies both the seasoning and the smoke.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.

More from Jamaica

Jerk ChickenChicken marinated in scallion, thyme, allspice, and Scotch bonnet, grilled low and smoky.
Curry GoatBone-in goat marinated in Jamaican curry and green seasoning, then braised slow with allspice, thyme, and Scotch bonnet until it falls from the bone.
Escovitch FishWhole snapper fried crisp, then drenched in a hot vinegar pickle of onion, carrot, Scotch bonnet, and pimento.
Browse all Jamaica recipes →

Good to know

Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.

Make it a Jamaica meal

Curry GoatDinner
Sweet Potato PuddingDessert

Similar dishes from around the world

Kittitian SorrelSaint Kitts and Nevis
Ginger BeerAntigua and Barbuda
MaubyGuyana
Krupnikas (Lithuanian Honey Spice Liqueur)Lithuania
Izvar (Moldovan Hot Wine with Honey and Black Pepper)Moldova
Glögg (Swedish Mulled Wine)Sweden
Drinks
Drinks of the World

Frequently asked questions

What is Sorrel Drink?

A spiced, ruby-red hibiscus drink steeped with ginger and cloves, Jamaica's taste of Christmas.

Where does Sorrel Drink come from?

Sorrel Drink is a Jamaican dish from Kingston (Surrey), Jamaica.

Can Sorrel Drink be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

This Sorrel Drink recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.

Is Sorrel Drink safe for people with food allergies?

Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.

How long does Sorrel Drink take to make?

About 4 h 25 min in all: 10 minutes prep and 15 minutes cooking, plus 4 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.

Get the Sunday Spin

One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.