← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 400 g Sugar
• 480 ml Water
• 120 ml white vinegar
• 1 bunch fresh mint (about 30 g)
• 3 l cold water, to serve
• 2 Cucumber, grated
• 500 g ice cubes
• 1 tsp Rose water (optional)

Method

1. Put the sugar and water in a pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 min.
2. Add the vinegar and simmer for 15 min more, until it is slightly syrupy and coats a spoon.
3. Take off the heat, push the mint into the hot syrup, cover and leave to cool completely, about 1 hour. Strain into a clean bottle and keep in the fridge for up to a month.
4. For each glass, stir about 3 tbsp syrup into 250 ml cold water, then add a spoonful of grated cucumber, ice and a drop or two of rose water if you like.

Tips

• In Iran the neat syrup is also a dip for crisp lettuce leaves on hot days.
• Adjust the ratio to taste: more syrup for sweet-sour, more water for a lighter drink.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Unicorns in the Kitchen Piper Cooks