Sorel Liqueur Part 2: How Jackie Summers Pairs America's Most Awarded Liqueur

Behind the Pour

Sorel has been called the most awarded liqueur in America. Jackie Summers, its founder, built it from a Caribbean sorrel drink tradition that his family had carried for generations — a hibiscus-and-spice recipe that became a bottled spirit only after Jackie's own health crisis forced him to reconsider what he wanted to leave behind. In Part 2 of TLC's series with Jackie, Crystal and Roger go deeper: into the pairings, the versatility, and the full origin story that Part 1 only began to tell.

What You'll Discover

• Sorel's pairing range across spirits categories: Jackie demonstrates that Sorel works alongside bourbon, rum, mezcal, and tequila — not just as a modifier in cocktails but as a complementary pour alongside neat spirits. The hibiscus and spice profile creates a different effect with each base spirit.
• How Sorel pairs with bourbon: Bourbon's vanilla and caramel align with Sorel's dried fruit and hibiscus sweetness. Crystal notes the pairing produces a complementary sweetness that broadens the bourbon's fruit notes without competing with the oak.
• Sorel alongside mezcal: The more surprising pairing. The smoke and earthiness in mezcal creates contrast with Sorel's floral-herbal character — Jackie describes it as a conversation rather than a blend.
• The full Caribbean origin story: Sorrel — the hibiscus-and-spice drink — has deep roots in Caribbean and West African culinary tradition, consumed at holidays and celebrations across the diaspora. Jackie's family recipe was personal before it was commercial. His decision to formalize it as a bottled spirit carries cultural weight alongside the flavor.
• The hibiscus, ginger, clove, cassia, and nutmeg profile: Jackie walks through the botanical composition — the five main flavor elements of Sorel — and how each contributes to the whole. Hibiscus provides the tartness and color; ginger provides heat; clove, cassia, and nutmeg provide the spice architecture.

A Moment of Pourspective

Jackie Summers made Sorel from a family recipe that had never been written down, formalized, or bottled. He gave it a label because he wanted it to outlast him. A drink that carries 300 years of tradition in a modern bottle is doing exactly what spirits are supposed to do.

Explore the Conversation

The Sorel Part 2 episode is one of TLC's richest cultural conversations. Jackie Summers is a founder who thinks about what he is building in explicitly generational terms — the product is not just a business, it is a legacy vehicle for a tradition that would otherwise be vulnerable to disappearing as family knowledge. The pairing framework Jackie provides is the episode's most practically useful section. Most liqueur conversations are 'add it to a cocktail' — Jackie's approach of pairing Sorel alongside other spirits (not mixed into them) gives listeners a different way to explore the flavor that Crystal and Roger find genuinely compelling. The awards context frames the episode's credibility. Jackie mentions that Sorel has accumulated more major spirits awards than any other American liqueur — a claim that reflects the judges' encounter with a product in a category where the competition is often simple flavored spirits without real culinary depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Sorel? Sorel is an hibiscus liqueur made from a Caribbean sorrel drink tradition, founded by Jackie Summers. The flavor profile combines 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 (also called sobolo or bissap) is a hibiscus-based drink consumed across the Caribbean and West Africa at celebrations and holidays. It is made by steeping dried hibiscus flowers with spices. Jackie Summers bottled his family's version as a commercial liqueur.
• How do you drink Sorel? Neat, over ice, as a liqueur alongside another spirit, or as a cocktail modifier. Jackie Summers recommends starting neat to understand the full flavor before adding it to a build.
• Can I find Jackie Summers's story beyond the Sorel interview? Yes — Jackie Summers has written and spoken widely about his health journey and the founding of Sorel. His book 'Man Drinks World' is one starting point.

Episode at a Glance

• Guest: Jackie Summers (founder, Sorel)
• Hosts: Crystal and Roger
• Runtime: 27 minutes, 49 seconds
• Category: Spirits Education
• Topic: Part 2 of 2 — Sorel pairings, full Caribbean origin story, botanical profile