Sorrel: One refreshing drink

[fr33_mason]

 I originally gave this recipie to one of the member's here via P.M. and decided to share this drink with the rest of you who might be interested. 

  I catered a BBQ this weekend which was a success despite the rancid weather we had here in Alberta this long weekend but the sorrel along with the food was a definite bright spot for the day. My personal recipe is a bit of a secret to which my mother would skin me alive if I posted it here but this is the base recipe.

 Here is the recipe for sorrel.

 Ingredients: (Makes 2 quarts (liters))

1 lb Sorrel sepals (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
 1 inch of ginger
 5 tablespoons of sugar
 2 quarts of water
 A splash of rum   *ideally Jamaican white rum*

1 teaspoon of cloves
 1 teaspoon of ground pimento (all spice)
 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
 1 tablespoon of orange zest
 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
 1 teaspoon of mace

 Optional alcohol
 Wine
 Sherry
 Rum

Prep:

Grate your ginger.

Add your ginger, sorrel and water to a pot and rapidly bring to a boil.

Add a selection of optional ingredients to the mixture to personalise the drink. You will probably need to experiment with these ingredients until you find the combination which is perfect for you. I would first suggest though to create the drink with the traditional ingredients first to establish a baseline to see what direction you want your flavour to go.

Allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes.

 Take the mixture off the heat. Once it has cooled, place in the fridge for 24 hours.

 After 24 hours, take the mixture out of the fridge and strain.

Stir in the sugar and a dash of rum (the rum helps to preserve the drink). If you wish you can add some wine, sherry or additional rum at this stage.

Serve with ice and enjoy!

 

[petalsandcoco]

Thanks for the Recipe FR33

I have never had it but heard that some people put pimento seeds in it . Why would they do that in your opinion ?

I am going to have to look for Sorrel here in order to make it.

Going to use my 7 year Cuban for this one.

 

[fr33_mason]

I have never had it but heard that some people put pimento seeds in it . Why would they do that in your opinion ?

Allspice is a staple spice in Jamaican cuisine.  It adds a flavour that only allspice can give.  I don't know why it was originally added but it is universal in two things Jamaican: jerk seasoning and sorrel. My best guess is that the complex flavour of allspice compliments the ginger and sorrel flavours.