Sharbat

Sharbat is a sweet, cooling cordial made by diluting a concentrated fruit, flower or herb syrup with cold water or chilled milk and serving it over ice. Spanning the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, the Balkans and South Asia, it comes in a spectrum of jewel colours and perfumes — rose, sandalwood, hibiscus, khus (vetiver), lemon, falsa, mango and dozens more — depending on the syrup at its heart. Always non-alcoholic, it is the historical ancestor of the words sherbet, sorbet and syrup, and remains a defining refreshment of summer and of breaking the Ramadan fast.