Sorrel Liqueur

A liqueur is a very sweet alcoholic beverage. It is made with a distilled spirit such as rum (white or dark), vodka etc, along with fruit and added sugar. The mixture is mixed well and left to cure for a long period of time so that the flavours can marry; meld.

This very sweet alcoholic beverage can be served in a variety of ways: poured over ice (as a dessert), stirred into coffee, drizzled over desserts or mixed with other ingredients to make cocktails.

Sorrel is still in season so grab some and make this liqueur that you can enjoy in time for Valentine’s and throughout the year.

This recipe is adapted from a friend, Felix Pedilia.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sorrel petals (see notes below)

• 8 cups water

• 4 cups/2 pounds white granulated sugar (see notes below)

• 2 teaspoons Angostura bitters

• 1 (750ml) bottle of white rum

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse sorrel and drain well.

2. Add sorrel to a large pot along with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until softened, about 10 – 12 minutes.

3. Strain the sorrel through a sieve and reserve the petals.
4. Add the liquid back to the pot along with the sugar and place over medium heat; stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil; cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until the mixture becomes a thin syrup. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
5. Mix together the sorrel syrup, rum and bitters. Stir well. Pour into sterilized rum or wine bottles, cork tightly, store in a dark place and leave to cure for 21 full days.

NOTES

• Buy 2 full pounds of sorrel so that when you peel and remove the seeds the petals would give you the full pound. Buy a little extra than the 2 pounds just in case you get some in between that are not so fresh.
• The original recipe calls for 3 pounds (6 cups of sugar) but when I made the first batch, I found it overly sweet even though liqueurs are meant to be quite sweet, so I reduced the amount of sugar.
• The original recipe also called for 3 teaspoons of Angostura bitters, I reduced it to 2 teaspoons to suit my taste. If you do not like bitters, you can skip it altogether.
• Next week I’ll tell you how to create a spicy chutney with the cooked petals that can work as a spread for sandwiches and served with roasts and meatballs.