Roots drinks are one of the oldest things in the Caribbean pantry — herbal beverages brewed from barks, roots and spices, drunk for strength, stamina and general wellbeing. Every family has a preference and most will tell you theirs is the proper one.

Baba Roots is among the best known — a dark, sweet, heavily spiced herbal beverage, available in a 250ml small or an 8.99 large bottle.

Stamina make Conqueror and Extra Tonic, both in small and large. These are the classic Jamaican tonic drinks, sweet and strongly spiced, usually taken by the small glass rather than the pint.

Fieldsway cover the bitter end of the range — Constitution Bitters and Elixir Roots in 750ml — alongside their sorrel.

Sorrel is the Christmas drink: deep red, made from hibiscus with ginger and spice, tart and refreshing. Fieldsway do it in 250ml and 750ml, and Kool Vibes make a sorrel and ginger blend. Ready-made sorrel saves the steeping, though plenty still prefer to brew their own.

Also here: Ferrol multivitamins with iron, a long-standing Caribbean household tonic, in 200ml and 500ml.

See also our dedicated Sorrel range, and Syrups for drinks you make up yourself.