Trinidad Sorrel Drink (Hibiscus Drink)
You know it is Christmas in Trinidad when you start to see mounds of Sorrel being sold every where. I love sorrel at Christmas! And it wouldn’t be a Caribbean or Trini Christmas without a glass of my Trinidad Sorrel Juice!
What is Sorrel?
Sorrel or Hibiscus as it is know in many places is a plant with with a rose like bud that can be boiled to make juice and the pulp used to make jam. It is red in color and can come in dark or light. My favorite being the dark sorrel. I love the deep red color it turns the sorrel juice!
How to make Trinidad Sorrel Juice?
Making sorrel is quite simple, but can take a lot of preparation. First your wash the petals, remove the seed and, then boil the clean petals in water along with flavorings, then strain the petals, and sweeten the liquid to taste.
What do you need to make Sorrel Juice?
Sorrel:
your choice of dark or light. We use fresh sorrel because we can get it easily at Christmas in Trinidad and then we use the pulp to make jam. If you are unable to get fresh Sorrel , there are dried options available such as this one, along with directions for its use.
Flavouring:
Most people use clove and cinnamon to flavor their sorrel. I’ve even seen people add bay leaf. I’m simple and I like the simple flavor of cinnamon in my sorrel. But you could add clove and or a bay leaf when boiling if you like those flavors.
Sweetener:
One of the only drawbacks when it comes to making sorrel is the amount of sugar it takes to sweeten it. So to reduce the amount of sugar I use either xylitol or agave to sweeten my juice. The xylitol makes it sugar free, and the agave low glycemic. Agave still has sugar but it much better for you than refined sugar.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to start making your sorrel juice! And you can turn the pulp into jam and make these Thumbprint Cookies!
Trinidad Sorrel Juice (Hibiscus Drink)
Christmas is in the air and we're making a batch of our favourite Christmas Sorrel Juice!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh sorrel
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups xylitol or sugar
- 2 - 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 10 - 12 cups water
Instructions
- Wash and clean your sorrel, the remove the seeds and set the petals aside.
- Place the clean petals in a large pot and fill until the petals are covered. Add cinnamon sticks, the bring the mixture to a boil.
- After it reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until the petals are tender about 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once tender, remove from heat and strain the liquid into a heat safe bowl or pot to separate the liquid from the petals.
- Add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, then sweeten with sugar or xylitol to taste.
- Let cool, then chill and serve over ice.
