CHILLED SORREL PUNCH
MAKES FOUR 6-OUNCE SERVINGS (5 MG THC PER SERVING)
TYPICALLY A CHRISTMAS DRINK, this punch can be served hot or cold and is a great way to get the party started. It’s made with sweet/tart dried sorrel, the sepal of the hibiscus flowers that grow all over Jamaica. When steeped overnight in water, the sepals give off a gorgeous fuchsia color that never fails to bring me straight back to the Caribbean.
I like to let the sorrel have a good soak with spices and orange slices before mixing with the fruit and either CannaVanilla Extract or CannaOil depending on whether I’m serving the punch chilled or warm (for the warm punch variation, see opposite). If you prefer a rum punch, leave out the Herb enhancement and add some nice Jamaican rum instead. You can find dried sorrel online or in Caribbean markets.
¾ cup dried sorrel (hibiscus flower sepals)
2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced crosswise into rounds
1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds
6 allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups boiling water
½ cup honey
2 cups bite-size pieces fruit: peaches, nectarines, pineapples, mango, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries
¾ cup rum (preferably Jamaican rum) or 2 teaspoons CannaVanilla Extract
4 large fresh mint sprigs
- Combine the sorrel, ginger, orange slices, allspice berries, cloves, and cinnamon stick in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture overnight.
- The next day, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or large pitcher. Use a spoon to press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
- Stir the honey into the sorrel tea, then add the fruit and rum or CannaVanilla. Divide among 4 wineglasses. Use a slotted spoon to add some fruit to each glass and serve with a mint sprig.
VARIATION: WARM SORREL PUNCH
If you’d like to serve the punch warm, after straining the mixture in step 2, return it to a clean saucepan and warm over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum or CannaOil and the cut-up fruit. Divide the fresh fruit from the saucepan among 4 mugs, top off with the punch, and serve with a strip of orange peel and a cinnamon stick, if you like.
