Christmas Staple · Spiced Hibiscus Punch
Sorrel
Photo: stu_spivack / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
It's brewed from the same hibiscus calyxes that only come into harvest for a few weeks a year — sorrel season and Christmas season are basically the same window in Jamaica.
Sorrel is a deep-red drink made by steeping dried hibiscus (Roselle) calyxes with ginger, cinnamon, and pimento (allspice), then sweetening and chilling it, sometimes with a splash of rum. It's brewed by the batch in homes and sold from coolers by street vendors specifically during the Christmas season across Jamaica.
Why it's made this way: Sorrel's short harvest window ties it directly to the December holidays, making it as central to Jamaican Christmas as eggnog is elsewhere.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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