Orhul. Bissap. Sobolo. Sorrel. Flor de Jamaica. Roselle. Relying on the place on this planet you end up, chances are you’ll encounter quite a lot of drinks going by disparate names however sharing two distinct traits: a putting, saturated purple hue, and an equally vibrant tart and bracing style. What these drinks all have in widespread is hibiscus, a flowering plant which grows in temperate to tropical zones across the globe, most notably in Mauritius, India, Indonesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii. The origins of hibiscus are unclear, however scientific data date it again to the mid-18th century, when Europeans had been exploring Asia and the South Pacific in quest of spices and different commodities.
The hibiscus genus, of which there are some 400 varieties, is a hardy bush that produces not solely its trademark flowers, but in addition pod-like fruits referred to as calyxes. Whereas nearly all of hibiscus vegetation are identified for his or her decorative blooms, one pressure, Hibiscus sabdariffa, is wholly edible, from roots to leaves to flowers. The calyxes are the half most generally used for making drinks; these could also be consumed contemporary, but it surely’s much more widespread to seek out them dried, sometimes in Caribbean, Latin, West African, and Asian markets. Hibiscus drinks are a homestyle staple in lots of of those cultures, although till not too long ago the ingredient didn’t have a lot of a cocktail presence. As the recognition of tropical and Latin bars and eating places grows, nevertheless, I’ve observed hibiscus popping up an increasing number of on drink menus. The truth is, the primary time I ever tasted it was in a bar.
My first encounter with hibiscus got here once I was working as beverage Director at Gladys Caribbean, a now-shuttered Brooklyn restaurant which had a tightly edited meals menu influenced by Jamaican jerk. The drink choice took its cues from the island too, in an effort to recreate the expertise of consuming at an open-air Caribbean road- or beachside stand.
In Jamaica, sorrel is as ubiquitous as sweet tea is in my native South Carolina, although the American South has its personal wealthy “purple drink” custom as effectively. Purple berry-flavored drinks are a fixture at Juneteenth celebrations—significantly these in Texas and alongside the Louisiana Gulf Coast. For the reason that 18th Century, South Carolina’s Geechee Gullah group has grown hibiscus vegetation introduced over from Africa to make infusions much like the Nigerian bissap and Senegalese sobolo I discussed earlier.
I began to look deeper into hibiscus drinks and was pleasantly stunned by what I discovered: Hardly unique to the Caribbean, the ingredient can also be standard in Mexico, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Each cold and hot hibiscus drinks will be made by steeping the calyxes, leaves, flowers, or all three. Some are easy water infusions, sweetened with sugar, whereas others are enhanced with spices, citrus, and even mint. With that stated, I want to introduce you to a few must-try types of hibiscus drinks, spanning traditions from West Africa, to the Caribbean, to Latin America.
Again to the Roots: Bissap
In Nigeria and Senegal, hibiscus leaves and flowers are used to create a tea referred to as bissap, which is historically loved chilled, flavored with sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and mint. In Ghana, this drink is extra generally referred to as sobolo, and generally incorporates pineapple juices and native peppers. The outcome—a shiny and zesty beverage filled with vitamin C, antioxidants, and antimicrobials—is taken into account by many to be the last word wellness drink, flushing toxins from the system whereas boosting general immunity. My favourite bissap/sobolo to sip on is the bottled model from Bosuo, produced in New York Metropolis by Ghanian expat Afuya Ayisi. Scented with each mint and vanilla, it’s the right companion to a summer season picnic or seashore jaunt. Whereas I am keen on it by itself, Bosuo can also be scrumptious in cocktails and mocktails, and it’s significantly beautiful topped with grapefruit soda or glowing wine, or combined with agave spirits. Should you’re a newcomer to hibiscus, I counsel beginning right here: incorporate bissap right into a cocktail by utilizing it because the juice/tea aspect in a gin punch, or in lieu of cranberry juice in a cosmo riff. The infusion has an analogous tartness, however with a barely earthier complexity than basic cran.
Spice it Up: Caribbean Sorrel
When West Africans had been trafficked to Caribbean and American sugar plantations through the triangular slave commerce, they carried with them substances from their residence continent. It’s within the Caribbean that African bissap meets spices imported from Southeast Asia and the Amazonian Rainforest, together with clove, cassia cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. These world flavors had been finally added to the straightforward purple drink, imparting further layers of complexity and aroma. Sorrel—now a ubiquitous beverage in Jamaica, Barbados, and all through the Caribbean, is way punchier than its West African predecessor, pleasant by itself or used as a car for native rum. In my e book, TIKI: Modern Tropical Cocktails, I exploit sorrel as the bottom for a festive punch, combined with black tea, pineapple juice, and two sorts of bitters.
Talking of cocktails, if you need to make your individual combined drinks with sorrel, I extremely suggest JFB Sorrel Liqueur. Created by Jackie Summers, a Brooklyn native with Barbadian roots, JFB clocks in at 15% ABV. It makes for a shiny and punchy addition to cocktails or may even be sipped straight, like a juicy, spicy Shiraz.
Take it Simple: Agua de Jamaica
Inevitably hibiscus made it over to the North American continent, which had its personal sugar commerce, albeit on a a lot smaller scale than the one which dominated the Caribbean financial system for the higher a part of 300 years. In Mexico, a hibiscus drink referred to as agua de jamaica flourished, and to this present day it goes head-to-head with horchata because the nation’s go-to thirst quencher. Even easier than bissap, agua de jamaica matches neatly into Mexico’s custom of fruit-forward aguas frescas. Whereas not ordinarily combined with spirits in Mexico, I’ve discovered this refreshing infusion to be a scrumptious element in margarita or paloma riffs. I wish to make a concentrated model by doubling up on the sugar, then utilizing it like easy syrup, and even as a colourful float.
Recipes
Caribbean Sorrel
Agua de Jamaica
Flor de Jalisco
