Born of the spice trade, versions of sorrel date back to the 1600s, when hibiscus flowers were first imported to the New World from West Africa and hibiscus- based beverages became a Caribbean tradition. Made with Moroccan hibiscus blended with Brazilian clove, Indonesian cassia and Nigerian ginger, this bright red liqueur from Brooklyn is a modern twist on a timeless classic.
Across the African diaspora, there is an ancestral memory of The Red Drink. It begins in West Africa, where hibiscus, a potent botanical, was used for medicinal purposes. As the Transatlantic Trade began, these pungent flowers traveled from their homeland alongside enslaved Africans.
British naval officers would add a portion of their stipend of rum to the tea as a preservative. As the islands of the Antilles became ports of trade for spice and bodies, the beverage which came to be known as sorrel became a tradition across the Caribbean islands.
