Barrel to Bottle: Sorel Liqueur Founder Jack Summers

Jack Summers is the founder of Jack From Brooklyn and Sorel Liqueur. He’s the first African-American man, after prohibition, to be granted a license to produce liquor in America. People have been drinking hibiscus flower tea for centuries.
The Transatlantic slave trade brought hibiscus to the Americas, along with the people who made beverages with hibiscus. Each island had their own version of Sorrel with different indigenous spices. Jackie was the first person to bottle this, as Sorel.
Jackie’s family is from Barbados. Caribbeans tend to drink Sorrel over ice, but there have been some great cocktails made with it. It also mixes great with most spirits and highlights different flavors depending on what you use.
Listener Q&A is back this week (yes, we still do those!). Listener Katie wants to explore new rums and this is really the perfect team to answer that question.
If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card!
If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
Related Posts

Barrel to Bottle: Flavor Blasted Spirits
One episode just wasn’t enough to cram in all the flavor-blasted products on Binny’s shelves. So we’re back with part two, focusing on spirits.
Learn more
Binny's Home Bartender: Bigger Bamboo
This riff on the classic tiki cocktail turns it into a fizzy tall drink with the help of Fever Tree Grapefruit and Lime-Yuzu sodas. The Bigger Bamboo is a cocktail of uncompromising quality from top to bottom.
Learn more
Barrel to Bottle: Quarantinis vol. 5 - Quarantikis
Tiki cocktails are one of Roger's passions. But some members of the Barrel to Bottle Crew don't want to go through the hassle of mixing a 15-ingredient cocktail. Maybe you're the same way? If you don't want to stock up on multiple fruit juices, syrups, liqueurs and types of rum, this is the perfect episode for you.
Learn more