Not a Caribbean Christmas without traditional drink sorrel

CBC Toronto reporters share their favourite Christmas treatsin our Holiday Eats series.

It would not be a Caribbean Christmas without sorrel.

It's a refreshing,delicious drink that is primarily consumed around the holidays.

Sorrel is a plant and the dried version my wife uses can be found in Caribbean, Asian and African stores. My wife is from the Spice Isle Grenada and uses cloves, cinnamon and ginger to flavour the drink.

I've tasted it from friends from pretty much all of the Caribbeanislandsand Guyana. I even found it in Mexico.I love it with a slice of rum cake.

Sorrel

• 1.5 lb sorrel
• 8 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• thick slice of ginger
• sugar to sweeten

Add dried sorrel, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to pot of water.

Boil for 30 minutes, let mixture cool then strain and sweeten with sugar to taste.

Serve chilled.

Add a shot of rum for the adult version.