Sorel Liqueur Part 1: Jackie Summers on the Hibiscus Spirit Rooted in the Black Caribbean Tradition

Behind the Pour

Jackie Summers spent years working in tech before he launched Sorel in 2012. The recipe came from his family — a hibiscus-and-spice drink from the Caribbean sorrel tradition, made during holidays and celebrations across the diaspora for hundreds of years. Jackie's decision to formalize it as a bottled spirit involved navigating an industry with no roadmap for what he was doing and no comparable product on the shelf. The result is the most awarded liqueur in America. Part 1 of TLC's series with Jackie tells the full origin story.

What You'll Discover

• The cultural roots of sorrel: The hibiscus-based sorrel drink has deep roots in Caribbean and West African culinary tradition. It is consumed at celebrations, carried across the diaspora, and represents a flavor tradition that predates the modern spirits industry by centuries. Jackie's recipe came directly from his family.
• What is in Sorel: Five botanicals — hibiscus (the primary flavor and color), ginger (heat and brightness), clove (spice foundation), cassia (warmth and sweetness), and nutmeg (complexity and depth). The combination produces a spirit that reads as floral, spicy, and aromatic simultaneously.
• Why it took a tech entrepreneur to launch it: Jackie's path into spirits was not through industry contacts or a distilling background — it was through the conviction that this recipe deserved to be in a bottle. His outsider positioning shaped how he built the brand.
• What 'most awarded' actually means: Sorel has accumulated major international spirits competition awards across multiple categories. Jackie explains what those wins meant strategically for a small, independent liqueur brand trying to establish credibility.
• Spirits as a vehicle for culture and heritage: Jackie's framing of what Sorel is — not just a product but a cultural preservation project — is the episode's most resonant theme. A drink that carries 300 years of tradition in a modern label is doing exactly what spirits are supposed to do.

A Moment of Pourspective

Jackie Summers did not invent sorrel. He bottled it so it could outlast him, so it could carry the tradition beyond the kitchen and the family and the holiday and into every bar and home that might never have found it otherwise. That is what a great liqueur is supposed to do.

Explore the Conversation

The Sorel Part 1 episode establishes the cultural and personal foundation that Part 2 builds its pairing framework on. Jackie is a deliberate conversationalist — he does not rush past the origin story, and Crystal and Roger give him the space to tell it fully. The health crisis that shaped Sorel's founding is mentioned but not detailed in the TLC episode — Jackie's memoir covers it more fully. What the episode communicates is the urgency behind the project: this was not a casual business decision. Crystal's genuine connection to the Black spirits community makes this conversation different from an industry interview. She is not asking Jackie about his distribution strategy; she is asking why he made what he made and what he hopes it means for the people who drink it.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Sorel? Sorel is a hibiscus liqueur made from a Caribbean sorrel drink tradition, founded by Jackie Summers. The botanical profile is hibiscus, ginger, clove, cassia, and nutmeg. It is described as the most awarded liqueur in America. sorelofficial.com
• What is the sorrel drink tradition? Sorrel is a hibiscus-based beverage with deep roots in Caribbean and West African culinary tradition. It is typically made during celebrations and holidays from dried hibiscus flowers steeped with spices.
• Who is Jackie Summers? Jackie Summers is the founder of Sorel Liqueur, a former tech entrepreneur who launched the brand in 2012 based on a family recipe rooted in Caribbean tradition. He is also the author of the memoir 'Man Drinks World.'
• Is this the same as the pairing episode? No. Part 1 covers the cultural origin story and brand founding. Part 2 (also on TLC) covers pairing Sorel with other spirits categories.

Episode at a Glance

• Guest: Jackie Summers (founder, Sorel Liqueur)
• Hosts: Crystal and Roger
• Runtime: 29 minutes, 48 seconds
• Category: Spirits Education
• Topic: Part 1 of 2 — Sorel cultural origin story, botanical profile, Black entrepreneurship in spirits