Jamaican Sorrel Christmas Punch

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 liters of water
• 7 tea bags (hibiscus tea)
• 1 cup sugar
• e.g. Rum (Overproof Rum), alternatively dark Rum
• 1 stalk(s) cinnamon
• 1 piece(s) ginger, approx. 1×1 cm
• 6 cloves
• 6 grains of allspice
• 1 orange(s), peeled
• e.g. lime(s), sliced
• e.g. orange(s), sliced

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest period approx. 3 days; Total time approx. 3 days 20 minutes

the cool alternative to mulled wine

Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add the tea bags, spices, and orange to the pot and let it steep for 2 days with the lid closed. After 2 days, remove the tea bags, spices, and orange from the punch (strain through a fine sieve). Add sugar and let it steep for another day, stirring occasionally so that the sugar dissolves completely. To serve, pour a shot of rum into a glass. A rum tumbler glass is ideal for this, but any other glass will do, of course. Fill halfway with the punch. Add two ice cubes to the glass. To garnish, place a slice of lime around the rim of the glass and add half a slice of orange to the glass. Note: I used hibiscus tea here; if you can get hold of dried sorrel flowers, you should use them to get even closer to the Jamaican original.