Red Drink for Juneteenth
Amber Mayfield Hewett loves a good party. Not “good” in the sense that there were enough chairs and everyone liked the dip (though a killer dip and a place to sit definitely don’t hurt). To Amber, a good party is one where everyone in the room feels like they belong — no one feels like a plus-one or wonders if they should’ve stayed home. “In my early twenties, I was living in Harlem and working as an assistant at a TV network,” she explains in her new book, Your Turn to Host. “I loved going out, exploring the restaurant scene and private clubs… But something always felt missing. Even though I was surrounded by people all the time, I felt lonely.”
So, Amber started her own supper club, hosting dinners as a way to create community. “The first dinner was 24 people — roommates, co-workers, people I’d met out in the city,” she says. “Everyone walked in as strangers, but as the night went on, they were laughing and swapping stories like old friends.” Her supper club has since grown into a full-time career, and as of this week, a book — a guide to hosting meaningful gatherings of all kinds: Friendsgiving potlucks, Sunday suppers, and of course, cookouts.
“At the core, cookouts are a way for your village to come together,” Amber explains. “I keep an open-door policy for kids and friends of friends. And to me, cookouts are synonymous with freedom because of the holidays typically celebrated with them, including Juneteenth.” In her book, Amber offers a full guide for a Juneteenth cookout — everything from grilling tips to lawn games, as well as her own recipe for traditional Red Drink. “On Juneteenth, it’s customary to serve red foods and beverages,” she says. “Red is a symbol of the profound sacrifice and resilience of African American people.” Amber’s recipe starts with a classic sorrel-syrup base (“You can use the same technique to make other syrups, like lavender or elderflower”) and is spiked with a cup of rum. “You can easily omit the booze if you prefer a non-alcoholic version,” she adds. “The drink is delicious and refreshing on its own.” Here’s how to make it…
Red Drink
Serves 15
From Your Turn to Host by Amber Mayfield Hewett
Sorrel Syrup:
4 cups (1 L) water
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1 cup (1 1/2 oz/40 g) cut and sifted dried hibiscus flowers
2 cinnamon sticks
Punch:
2 (2 L) bottles club soda
1 cup (240 ml) dark rum
Juice of 2 large lemons
Ice cubes
4 lemons, sliced into wheels and seeded, for garnish
Make the syrup: In a medium pot, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the hibiscus flowers and cinnamon sticks, and stir until the flowers start to soften. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is deep red in color and infused with a floral flavor (about 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. Let the syrup cool completely before using or storing (about 30 minutes). The sorrel syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Make the punch: In a large punch bowl, stir together the club soda, 1 cup (240 ml) of the sorrel syrup, rum, and lemon juice to combine. (Amber notes: “If you’re skipping the rum, and want a little more flavor, you can add a splash of lemonade or a berry-flavored sparkling water.”) Serve with ice and garnish with lemon wheels.
Big thanks to Amber for sharing this recipe with us! You can find TONS of party recipes and hosting tips in her book and newsletter.
P.S. Five easy party foods, and a monochromatic fruit salad.
(Top photo by Xiana Gutierrez. Excerpted from Your Turn to Host by Amber Mayfield Hewett, published by Artisan Books. Copyright © 2026.)
Comments
40 commentsThank you for this post! We always try to do a little something to honor Juneteenth, but this year I am taking my kids and their friends camping, and the holiday wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. I’m now inspired to bring this drink (sans rum), plan our camping menu around important dishes, and talk about why we celebrate with all the teens/tweens.
5 stars. Truly delish!
Looks delicious! And wow that red dress!
Oooh, now I understand the Queen Bey lyric “sippin my favorite red alcohol”! I thought she meant red wine 😆 Thank you for this educational and fun post!
Her book design is gorgeous! And of course have to shout out how absolutely stunning she is in that red dress.
1. This looks delicious. 2. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!
What an inspiring, wonderful post. I just ordered Amber’s book!
I confess I toss a handful of hibiscus flowers and a cinnamon stick into a mason jar with water and let it infuse overnight without bothering to heat it.
Red drink sounds delicious, how fun to try…BUT Amber in that Red Dress…holy canoli. That is the Red Dress of the century, on such a Beauty. WOWZER!!!
If you don’t want to make your own syrup, you can buy a lovely bottled sorrel handmade in Brooklyn! It’s lovely: http://www.brooklynbrewedsorrel.com
TIL that hibiscus tea is also called sorrel primarily in the Caribbean! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roselle_(plant)#Beverage Not the same sorrel that’s a green leafy vegetable. Where I grew up (Eastern Europe) that’s a common leafy green for soups and stews.
The red drink looks delicious but my oh my, Amber’s red dress (maybe top skirt combo?) is absolutely STUNNING!
Came here to say that too! Beautiful!
Yesssss so gorgeous! You’re glowing!
This looks so delicious. I recently made some hibiscus iced tea and while refreshing, it was very tart! I’ll have to try the syrup technique.
Our household is a teensy bit obsessed with Garfield the cat (whose birthday falls on June 19th) so our favorite Juneteenth tradition is bringing a tray of lasagna to our neighborhood potluck.
Ha! That’s a cool idea. Love it.
Amber in that gorgeous red dress is just perfection.
Would love tips on how to slowly ease into hosting. Am so fried from work I can’t even think of it. But I have the space and time and desire and different groups of friends who’d love to join. Maybe it’s a “for a different phase of life” ?? But also, community is imoortant at every age and stage. What’s the right balance ? I wonder about this all the time.
I have a friend who is amazing at hosting, and her biggest tip is to just do it. Do it frequently, and get into the habit. That way each party has lower pressure, and you establish a routine of how to set up/clean up.
Keep it easy and just invite friends over! I have a few friends coming over tomorrow after work and I’m serving frozen pizza and we’re playing skip bo. I have a few canned drinks I’ll pull out. I find easy hangs like this make it easy to be more present with your friends, instead of thinking about other host-y things like the drinks table or spills on the tablecloth.
Hi Alisha, one of my favorite ways to host is in-between meals. Some examples: morning swim with popsicles and a bag of chips (can order pizza if vibes are good and want to continue into lunch lol), afternoon coffee/tea with fruit and a pastry, or an after dinner drink on the porch or s’mores by the fire. Hope that helps!
Throwing parties is my love language. I love being a host and having a defined role at a party. I used to do elaborate dinner parties, but post-kid, it’s been too much. I’m a big fan of the 8pm snack and drink party. The snacks are usually bags of chips. I have hot tea for non-drinkers and a pre-made cocktail. People always show up with extra drinks and snacks. You cna leave it at that, or add on as your enegy allows. I love making flower arrangements so I usually put a few together take it feel more festive. I also love one small, low-key activity. I’ve been learning to read tarot, so I did readings at a party last month. For my most recent party, I ordered miceacle berries (remember that 2010 craze?) And served cut up citrus and fruit for people to try (the berries make anything sour taste sweet). People love a theme. A recent hit was “i have no where to wear this”. We had Halloween costumes, wedding dresses, wigs. It is going to be an annual event.
A “taste test” party is great for your first foray. Very limited menu (just the “taste test” item and the “palate cleanser”) and defined activity.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, hibiscus in the summer is so refreshing and the color is beautiful.
I love to host but only know a couple of people as even after 5 years of moving to a new town, we are still finding ways to make friends. A lot of people have their own circle of snobbish friends and they don’t seem very welcoming. I have tried to meet some of my daughter’s friends families but living in the South has taught us lessons.
Ugh Indira, I can relate. I’ve lived in the South for a decade and have found it similarly difficult to make good friends.
Yes, don’t mistake friendliness for friendship in the South😂. But unless you live in a small town, there’s probably lots of transplants experiencing the same thing. You just have to find them.
Thanks for this post. The drink sounds divine, I will have to make it!
I love this so much (as a southerner, you had me at punch bowl, haha.)
Gah! I let my mom’s punchbowl go when I cleared out her (southern) house. I really regret it.
I love a punch bowl !! I have my sister’s she received for a wedding present in 1977. She didn’t want it. But I love it ! It was a tradition in my house with my husband and daughter, from the time she was little, to use on New Years Eve every year. We filled it with lemon lime soda or ginger ale, frozen fruit punch concentrate and 3 flavored sherbet, lime, orange, pink raspberry. So pretty and fun. Then we’d throw tons of confetti, and next day there’d be confetti everywhere and punch bowl out yet and it was bliss. Anyway, yes, thank you for the Red Drink recipe ! The book looks fun! I never ever host but I love reading about it.
Sarah, hit an estate sale and you’ll be back in the punch bowl life before you know it!! PNW, the way my heart soared when I read your punch recipe, the gallons I’ve had since childhood of that very recipe! (Sometimes for extra razzle dazzle, I’ll use my Bundt pan and freeze my ice ring with fruit slices, to throw in—cheers!
Aw Karen, I’m glad this was a happy punch bowl memory for you ! Thanks for telling me ! And I’m going to try your ice ring idea ! Yay for punch bowls ! :)
Sarah, check eBay or Poshmark. You can probably find the exact punchbowl your mom had and bring it back into your life.
Love everything about this post! Thanks for featuring Amber and Juneteenth!
This sounds delicious! I’m definitely going to try it. Also – I’d love to hear from COJ readers’ family memories and traditions surrounding Juneteenth celebrations. Maybe that could be a future post? As a white lady living in NYC, I’m always interested in learning about how different cultures celebrate religious and cultural holidays.
This drink sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to make it. HOWEVER! I am here to shout from the rooftops directly to you, Amber! Wow! What a way to bring people together! Your business sounds amazing, and I can’t WAIT to purchase your book. I love to host, and a book like yours is a dream come true for tips on how to level-up. You absolutely RADIATE love, beauty, kindness, and that certain something that people who are capable of highlighting the gifts of others, while extending a helping hand and simultaneously introducing neighbor to neighbor, in community. In awe, and so delighted CoJ introduced me to you! If you were here in SF where I live, I’d be so stoked to host one of your events at my house! If you have any personal SF/West Coast recs for similar, I’m all ears. Love to you and yours, and thank you for sharing your talents with the world.
What a lovely comment 🙂
💯💯👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🥹