Sorrel Drink Recipe (Chicha de Saril)

This delicious and refreshing Sorrel Drink should be part of your Christmas or New Year’s table. This recipe is quick and easy to make. Give it a try!

Sorrel or “flor de jamaica,” known in other countries, is an ingredient full of antioxidants.

In Panama, we call it “Saril,” which comes from the drink’s name in Jamaica sorrel.

Since I was little in my house, this drink is served for the Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties. If we went to another place,e carried it, and it was always a hit.

As a child, my grandmother would make us peel it, and we always end up with our hands painted red. Once my dad arrived with a 5-gallon bucket filled with flowers, so you can imagine how long it takes us peeling. 😂

December is the month where you find it in greater quantity. In January and February, you can still find it in some places.

In some countries, you can find dehydrated petals, and with that, they make the infusion.

Some versions of this drink have cloves, cinnamon, and even lemon or orange peels.

Today I’ll share with you how we make this recipe at home and some special tips.

📋 Ingredients for the recipe

To prepare this recipe, you will need fresh or frozen sorrel, ginger, and sugar. 

In the recipe card below, you will have the complete measurements of each of these ingredients.

As for utensils, you will use a small knife, a large pot, a jug, a strainer, and a spoon to stir.

Now that you have all the ingredients and utensils, that starts with the preparation.

📝 How to make the recipe? – Step by Step

Preparation

The preparation is simple. The first thing we are going to do is remove the seeds. For this, use a small knife.

In one hand, you grab the sorrel and with the other the knife and cut the top until it comes off (you can watch the video for more detail). It looks like a hat.

It may be a bit difficult to remove because some seeds are somewhat large, but it is just a matter of moving them to the sides, and voila.

Make sure you’re not cutting too high either. That can make it challenging to get it out.

Once you are done with all of them, then wash the flowers with plenty of water, trying to remove any dirt they have. Now put it aside.

💡 Tip: Did you know that you can freeze sorrel? After peeling and washing, dry them well, and you can store them in Ziploc bags in the freezer for 3 months. If it is sealed correctly, it can last much longer.

Cut a piece of ginger about 1” to 2” and peel it.

The amount of ginger is to taste, but I have found that for this amount, a 1” piece of ginger is more than enough to give it the perfect touch for this amount of sorrel.

Some people like that spicy, others not much. So if it’s the first time, add a little and then add more. The detail is that you must taste the ginger.

Cooking

Step 1: In the large pot, place the sorrel, ginger, and approximately 8 cups of water. Make sure it covers completely. Place over medium heat until the water boils. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.

You can also do this by putting the ginger with the water in the pot and let it come to a boil. Once it boils, carefully add the sorrel. Lower the flame to medium heat, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Turn off the stove and let it cool a bit and then strain it, about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, in a large bowl, place the strainer, and with the spoon or a cup, cook the pot. Repeat until you finish with everything you have in the pot.

Place the strainer in a large bowl, and with the spoon or a cup, strain the liquid. Repeat until you finish with everything you have in the pot.

💡 Tip: If you see that the leaves are still red, you can add more water to the pot to extract more.

Step 3: Now, to sweeten it, start adding water to lighten the liquid. At the moment, it is like a concentrate with a somewhat strong flavor.

Start by adding 1 cup of water, and you go testing. For this amount, I used two and a half cups of water.

Then proceed to sweeten to taste. It should be sweet but not like syrup. You can use between 1 to 2 cups of sugar.

This amount makes about 3 liters of sorrel. Store in the fridge to cool.

Once cold, it is ready to enjoy.

Substitutions:

Brown sugar: You can use white sugar or a sweetener of your choice. Some people have used honey. I haven’t personally tried it, but let me know how you like it if you try.

Storage

Once it’s cold, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a week.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

• What if you added more ginger, and it’s too spicy? You will have to add water to compensate for the taste. If you have more sorrel, you can make a little more infusion and add it to dilute it.
• You can double or reduce the recipe.
• You can make it ahead of time so you can refrigerate it.
• It should be served very cold, and it goes well with Christmas meals (Ham, or turkey)
• You can add wine to it for a delicious adult-only drink.

If you tried the Sorrel Drink recipe or any other recipe on Nashi Food, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love knowing about your cooking experience.