We’ve reached the penultimate level of the Sour Cherry dishes. And oddly enough, today’s dish is not a dish at all but rather a drink. Today’s post is about Sharbat-e-Albaloo.
I touched on sour cherries or albaloo previously in two posts (Sour Cherry Rice & Sour Cherry Preserve), the Persian love affair with sour cherries and cherries is a strong one. So strong that they even made a emotional minimalist film about a guy wanting to die and the whole thing hinged slightly on someone asking him, but “aren’t you going to miss the taste of cherries?”
Sharbat in Persian cuisine is sort of a big deal and a staple of summer time in a Persian household. Essentially it’s a syrup that you make and you then dilute it with water, that’s it; Sharbat the word is the precursor for the English word sherbet. You can make Sharbat with any fruit really, but traditionally in Persian cuisine you do it with some sort of berry or cherry, my mom will also make it with fresh blackberries from the garden.
Every summer whenever we had guests or someone working at our house and it was hot outside, my Mom would bring them this super tall glass of icy Sharbat-e-Albaloo and they would all lose their minds (especially if they weren’t Iranian) at how delicious this drink was. It’s this magical creation of sweetness and a little bit of tart cherry flavor coming together to completely quench any and all thirst you had. It’s heaven on earth, and perfect for the upcoming summer deluge which will invariably be upon us soon enough.
This syrup keeps for a few months in a tight bottle in the fridge, it won’t last that long for a different reason, you’ll drink it all up.
Recipe – Sharbat-e-Albaloo
Ingredients
2 Cups of Sour Cherries (pitted)
2 Cups of Sugar
4 Cups of Water
2 Tsp. Rose Water
Method
Step 1 – In a large pot, pour in sour cherries, sugar, water, and rose water.
Step 2- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer as concoction reduces down.
Step 3- Once a syrup begins to form (about an hour, but keep an eye on it because sugar can go from syrup to thick sticky preserve quickly), remove from heat.
Step 4- Pour the mixture into a large enough jar that the cherries can fit in as well and refrigerate, keeps up to a few months.
*When serving, in a large glass, add ice cubes, then pour syrup with cherries over ice cubes, and finally pour water over the ice and syrup mixture. Serve with a tall spoon to allow your guest to stir it to their desired level of consistency.
- 2 Cups of Sour Cherries (pitted)
- 2 Cups of Sugar
- 4 Cups of Water
- 2 Tsp. Rose Water
- Step 1 – In a large pot, pour in sour cherries, sugar, water, and rose water.
- Step 2- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer as concoction reduces down.
- Step 3- Once a syrup begins to form (about an hour, but keep an eye on it because sugar can go from syrup to thick sticky preserve quickly), remove from heat.
- Step 4- Pour the mixture into a large enough jar that the cherries can fit in as well and refrigerate, keeps up to a few months.
- *When serving, in a large glass, add ice cubes, then pour syrup with cherries over ice cubes, and finally pour water over the ice and syrup mixture. Serve with a tall spoon to allow your guest to stir it to their desired level of consistency.
