Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Caribbean · Jamaican · Trinidadian

Caribbean sorrel drink

Vegetarian

The ruby-red Christmas drink of the Caribbean: dried sorrel (hibiscus) steeped overnight with fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and orange peel, then sweetened. Served here without rum.

Caribbean sorrel drink is a Caribbean cold drink, ready in about 12 hours 20 minutes and made with dried hibiscus flowers and fresh ginger. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
12 h
Total
12 h 20 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
94

Steeps overnight (8–24 hours).

Ingredients

8 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the water to the boil with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves (opens in a new tab), allspice (opens in a new tab) and orange (opens in a new tab) peel.

  2. Step 2

    Add the rinsed sorrel (opens in a new tab), return to the boil for 1–2 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to steep overnight at cool room temperature (or in the fridge once cool).

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the sepals and spices. Stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved, add lime juice (opens in a new tab) if you like, and taste.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Bottle and chill. Serve cold over ice.

About this dish

Origin
Caribbean · Commonly attributedDrunk across the English-speaking Caribbean at Christmas, especially in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; often spiked with rum, which this version leaves out.Also popular in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Grenada
Dish
Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
tangy, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, sweet
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Dried hibiscus flowers · Fresh ginger · Cinnamon stick · Cloves · Allspice · Orange
Techniques
Boiling

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

94 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 282 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 0%
  • Carbohydrate 99%
  • Fat 1%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy94 kcal33 kcal
Protein0.1 g0 g
Carbohydrate24.3 g8.6 g
Net carbohydrate23.8 g8.5 g
Sugars22.5 g8 g
Added sugars22.5 g8 g
Fibre0.5 g0.2 g
Fat0.1 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium6 mg2 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
26 mg
Calcium
51 mg
Iron
0.2 mg
Magnesium
10 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lime juice, ice.
  • Dried hibiscus flowers: Raw roselle (FDC 168170) used as a stand-in; dried calyces are more concentrated, but in drinks they are steeped and strained so little is consumed.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Fresh sorrel (in season around Christmas) gives a brighter flavour; use about three times the weight of dried.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the long steep — the drink stays pale and thin.

Food safety

  • Steep in the fridge once cooled if your kitchen is warm, and keep the finished drink chilled.

Storage

  • Keeps about a week in clean bottles in the fridge.

History

Sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa) reached the Caribbean from West Africa, and the spiced drink became a Christmas tradition across the region.

Confidence: Commonly attributed

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like