Sorrel (hibiscus drink)

So out here in our part of Brooklyn there are a lot of Caribbean people, which means a lot of delicious Caribbean food. And drinks – which brings me to the topic of this post. Sorrel is what the Jamaicans call a cold drink made with hibiscus and sugar, which is very similar to Hibiscus Cooler. It is super-refreshing and yummy. Here's the recipe I've settled on, which took some tinkering to come to (makes 6 cups):

• 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1–2 inch piece of ginger
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1.5 oz Splenda (or 12.5 oz = 1 3/4 cup sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups cold water

1. Peel the ginger, slice it into thin coins, and put it in a bowl with the hibiscus.
2. Bring the 2 cups water to a boil and pour over the hibiscus and ginger.
3. Steep for 10 minutes.
4. Strain into a pitcher.
5. Add the sweetener, vanilla, and lime juice. Stir to dissolve.
6. Add the cold water, chill, and enjoy.

Note: very good with vodka.

Cardamom Sweet Tea

15 min (10 min unattended) Makes 1 gallon Lightly crush: 10 or so green cardamom pods 1 3-inch cinnamon stick Put the spices in a pot with: 2 quarts cold water and bring to a boil. When the water is at a full rolling boil, add: 4 family-sized tea bags (I like Luzianne, but it's regional; Lipton will do) and remove from heat. Steep five minutes. In the mean time, get a 1-gallon pitcher and put in it: 25 g Splenda or 200 g sugar (which measures out to about 1 1/8 cups of either) When the tea is done steeping, remove the tea bags and spices from it and pour it into the pitcher. You might have to stir at this point if you're using sugar instead of Splenda to make it dissolve. Add another 2 quarts cold water to fill the pitcher, chill, and enjoy.