Family drinks

Sweet or pointed, the charm of maroon goes beyond the holidays Author: Korsha Wilson Photography: Katrin Björk

"It wasn't until about ten years ago that I realized that sorrel was even a holiday thing," said Kevin Chin, operations manager of Negril Jamaican Restaurant, a Jamaican restaurant with branches in Washington, DC and Maryland. Takeaway restaurant. His father opened his first branch in 1979, serving sorrel, golden brown cocoa bread, spicy chicken sandwiches and homemade beef patties. "It's always there."

With its evocative red color and sour taste, wood sorrel is a familiar sight in many Caribbean communities, sold in small bottles in stores, behind the takeaway counter of a beverage dispenser, or at parties. But holidays are places where drinks shine and become part of the celebration. They are served in party punch bowls, sometimes with rum or red wine, and sometimes without. Although not only eaten in December, wood sorrel is a holiday tradition in many Caribbean islands and Caribbean communities around the world, providing Caribbean immigrants with a home away from holiday flavor.

This drink is made from the roselle plant, which is a relative of hibiscus and okra. There are conflicting claims about the origin of Roselle, but it is mainly grown in India, West Africa and Malaysia. It was brought to modern America during the transatlantic slave trade, where it can be grown. The waxy flowers of this plant are dried, soaked like tea, and mixed with spices and sugar to make a maroon color. This drink has different names in different parts of the world: sorrel in the United States and the Caribbean; bissap, sobolo or zobolo in West Africa; or flor de jamaica in Central America and Mexico. In all these places, it is a slightly acidic red drink that can be non-alcoholic, or it can be added with rum or even tequila.

“You can trace the origin of sorrel back to 500 years ago,” said Jackie Summers, founder and CEO of Sorel Liqueur, a shelf-stable liqueur based on this beverage. He remembers looking forward to eating sorrel during the West India Day Parade in Brooklyn, which is an annual festival with food trucks and music celebrating Caribbean culture. "I want food, grilled meat pie, meatloaf and curry goat, sorrel," he said.

As he grew older and learned more about this drink, he realized that this bright red drink has more history. "Our ancestors knew the benefits of hibiscus, and knew what this plant was and what it could do, and then went to the Caribbean," he said.

Summers said that the Caribbean is where the transatlantic slave trade and the spice trade meet, creating changes for beverages. In Jamaica, wood sorrel recipes include ginger, cardamom, five-spice powder, and spices similar to those found in oily fatty meat, dried pork and chicken drumsticks. In Trinidad, sorrel is flavored with cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, illustrating the influence of India on the island’s cuisine. The family in Summers is from Barbados, and a glass of maroon is likely to be boosted because of the rum. "Rum is everywhere in Barbados," he said with a smile.

The "rule" for making maroon in your own home is to learn about the history and then taste as much as possible until you find something you like. The flexibility of sorrel suits the preferred flavor profile of anyone who makes it, which is why it is so pleasant. Some families use ginger, cinnamon, cloves and a lot of brown sugar to make it, while other families add red wine.

Chinn recommends using these spices to find a mixture that suits you. In Negril, he said that this beer is very spicy because the ratio of hibiscus to ginger is one to one, plus a little bell pepper or five-spice powder.

"But don't go overboard," he warned. "Make sure you pull it twice and wash the flowers well because they will get dirty."

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He said that once the desired flavor profile and sweetness are obtained, it can be used as a base and rum or wine can be added as needed. "Many times, I don't add alcohol, and then I add an ounce of rum to my glass."

"Our ancestors knew the benefits of hibiscus, and knew what this plant was and what it could do to travel to the Caribbean." —Jackie Summers, Sorell Liqueur

This is the whole reason why wood sorrel is so special: from island to island, and even door to door on each island, wood sorrel is an expression of the person who made it, and it is fully customizable. Like many dishes on the festive table, the taste of sorrel in your home is different from that of other families.

It is closely related to many places that this red drink has touched in history. "This is an amazing story about persistence," Summers said. "This drink has a place in the culinary world, and I want to pay tribute to that story."

Think of this as a maroon title that can be customized to your taste and may be paired with your favorite spirits. It is called "bissap" in The Rise by Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn. This recipe makes two quarts and can keep in the refrigerator for a week.

2 quarts water 2 cups dried wood sorrel (Hibiscus) petals 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced ​​½ cup sugar

Put the water in a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add hibiscus and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, close the lid, and soak for 15 minutes. Filter it through a fine mesh filter into a large heat-resistant container. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add 1 cup of ice and refrigerate until completely cooled. Serve on ice.

From The Rise by Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn. Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook's recipes. Copyright © 2020 Marcus Samuelson. A picture of Angie Mosier. Used with permission from Voracious, this is the mark of Little, Brown and Company. New York, New York. all rights reserved.

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