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Rose, Basil & Honey-Vinegar Şerbet: 4 Ottoman Drink Recipes

Şerbet (from the Arabic shariba, "to drink") is the ancestor of the word "sherbet" and "sorbet" — but unlike the frozen Western dessert, Turkish şerbet is always a drink, not a dessert. It's made by infusing or boiling fruit, flowers, or herbs, sweetening the liquid, then diluting and chilling it before serving over ice. Historically it was believed to aid digestion and cool the body in the summer heat, which is still how most Turkish families think of it today.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine ottoman, Turkish
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Purple Basil Şerbet

  • 1 handful purple basil leaves about ⅓ of a bunch, stems removed
  • ¼ lemon
  • 1/2 cup sugar or honey
  • hot water cooled for about 20 seconds

Rose şerbet

  • 4 tbsp fresh or dried edible rose petals
  • 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 clove optional
  • Hot water about 90°C / not boiling

Sekanjabin — Ottoman Honey & Vinegar Şerbet

  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar apple vinegar is traditional
  • Water to taste

Mixed Ottoman Şerbet

  • 1 cup dried plums soaked in water
  • 1 cup dried apricots soaked in water
  • ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
  • 2 whole cloves
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 slices lemon
  • Sugar to taste
  • Hot water

Instructions
 

  • Purple Basil Şerbet (Reyhan Şerbeti)
  • Place the basil leaves in a heatproof jar or pitcher.
  • Add the lemon and sugar.
  • Pour in the slightly cooled hot water so you don't scorch the leaves.
  • Stir until the sugar dissolves, then cover and let it steep like tea.
  • Once brewed, stir in a pinch of citric acid if using (it brightens the color), then strain.
  • Rose Şerbet (Gül Şerbeti)
  • Add the rose petals to a jar (mixing fresh petals with a little sugar first, as you would for rose jam, deepens the flavor).
  • Add the lemon and sugar, and the clove if using.
  • Pour in hot (not boiling) water.
  • Cover with a clean cloth and let it steep to release the fragrance and color.
  • Strain into a pitcher and chill.
  • Sekanjabin — Ottoman Honey & Vinegar Şerbet (Sirke-Engübin)
  • Stir the honey and vinegar together.
  • Add water and mix well.
  • Chill before serving over ice.
  • Mixed Ottoman Şerbet (Spiced Fruit & Hibiscus)
  • Drain the soaked plums and apricots and add them to a pot.
  • Pour in hot water, then add the hibiscus, cloves, and cinnamon stick.
  • Add a few lemon slices.
  • Simmer for 10–15 minutes.
  • Stir in sugar to taste, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
  • Strain into a pitcher, top up with a little more water to catch the last of the flavor, and chill completely before serving over ice.
Keyword ottoman drink, red sherbet drink, turkish drinks