Sorel Liqueur with Founder Jackie Summers | A Liqueur That Pairs with Everything | Part 1 | The Liquor Connoisseur
- connoisseurofliquo
- May 12
- 2 min read
Updated: 12 hours ago
Jackie Summers didn't set out to create a cocktail ingredient. He set out to recreate a flavor he remembered from his Caribbean grandmother's kitchen — sorrel tea spiced with hibiscus, ginger, clove, and cinnamon. What he created was one of the most culturally resonant liqueurs in American spirits.
Episode Highlights
Guest: Jackie Summers — founder, Sorel Liqueur (Singani 63 partner)
Spirit: Sorel Liqueur — hibiscus, West African sorrel, warming spices
ABV: 15%
Price: ~$30
Founded: 2012 — first Black-owned liqueur company licensed in New York since Prohibition
Key theme: Cultural memory, heritage, and the power of flavor to connect people
The Origin Story
Jackie Summers tells the story of how Sorel began — not as a business calculation but as a personal project to preserve a taste from his childhood. The sorrel drink his grandmother made for celebrations was the starting point: hibiscus, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg, recreated as a shelf-stable liqueur that could bring that experience to a wider audience. Crystal and Roger are visibly moved by the story before they've even tasted the liquid.
What's Actually in the Bottle
Sorel's flavor profile is driven by West African sorrel (hibiscus), which gives it a bright ruby color and a tart, floral acidity. The warming spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove — add layers that make it more complex than its 15% ABV suggests. The lower alcohol is intentional: Sorel is designed to be incorporated into cocktails as a modifier, not sipped straight like a high-proof spirit.
The Historical Context
Jackie's note about being the first Black-owned licensed liqueur company in New York since Prohibition is not a marketing claim — it's a fact that contextualizes how significant Sorel's existence is. The spirits industry has historically been exclusionary, and Sorel's success is part of a larger story about who gets to be represented in the bar.
🥃 Crystal & Roger's LC Recommendations
If you've never heard of Sorel: Watch this episode first, then find a bottle. The story changes how you experience the liquid.
For the holiday season: Sorel was originally a celebration drink — its hibiscus and spice character is perfectly calibrated for winter entertaining.
To support diverse founders in spirits: Buying Sorel is one of the clearest ways to vote with your dollar for a more representative industry.
LC Verdict
One of the most important episodes The Liquor Connoisseur has produced — not just for the liquid, but for the story and what it means for the broader spirits conversation.
Drink To Remember, Not To Forget. 🥃
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