Press

This month’s episode centers on a beautiful partnership of two individuals who come together to create a unified front to combat systemic barriers. Topics revolve around barrier-breaking, sensory literacy, privilege, diversity, blindness, aromatic symphony, and more.

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. He’s the first to bottle Sorel, a hibsicus-based liqueur.

It only takes a few moments in his presence to realize that Jackie Summers is extremely passionate about life. Perhaps that is because the longevity of his life was called into question in 2010, when Summers says he was first diagnosed with cancer. Summers recalls that his doctors only gave him months to live.

A modern twist on a Caribbean classic, Sorel Liqueur has become a buzzy drink of late but founder Jackie Summers wants you to know that his creation offers more than a rich drinking experience.

Back in the early twenty-teens, when Sorel first hit the market, it didn’t take long to become a bar staple. Shockingly, it also didn’t take long to fall out of the market. This had nothing to do with quality or popular demand.

Hibiscus is having a moment.
Late last December, the New York Times forecast hibiscus as the “Flavor of the Year,” with writer Kim Severson noting the flowering plant “is adding its crimson hue and tart, earthy flavor to everything from cocktails and sodas to crudos and yogurt.”

Everyone has their definition of luxury. For some, it’s indulging in an evening of self-care with a glass of wine, or it’s splurging on yet another pair of shoes. As for Jackie Summers, luxury is a red-hued, subtle sweet liqueur called Sorel.

There’s a special joy in second chances. And at a moment when sales of low- to no-alcohol brands continue to rise, this seems like the perfect time to reintroduce a liqueur that was a hit with cocktail insiders.

Jackie Summers just wanted to spend the rest of his time on earth day-drinking with cool people.