Gül Şerbeti (Turkish Rose Sherbet)
گل شربتی (ترکی گلاب کا شربت)
Turkey grows some of the world's most fragrant roses around the town of Isparta, and rose sherbet has been served there since Ottoman times. Gül şerbeti is lighter and more delicate than the rose syrups Pakistanis know from Rooh Afza: a clear lemon syrup perfumed with rose water, pale pink and very refreshing. It takes ten minutes to make a bottle of syrup that lasts for weeks.
- ⏱ Total: 15 min
- Prep: 5 min
- Cook: 10 min
- Easy
- Serves 8
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Boil the sugar and 1 cup water in a , stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and simmer 1 minute more. Take off the heat and let it cool completely.
Stir in the rose water and colour (if using). This is your rose syrup; bottle it and keep it in the fridge.
To serve, mix about 3 tablespoons of syrup with each glass of cold water, add ice and stir.
Pour into glasses and serve straight away.
Kitchen notes
Add rose water only after the syrup cools. Heat drives off its fragrance.
Rose waters vary a lot in strength. Start with less and taste.
The syrup keeps for about 3 weeks in a clean bottle in the fridge.
The rose of Isparta
The area around Isparta in southwest Turkey is covered with rose fields, and in late May and June the flowers are picked by hand at dawn for rose oil and rose water. Rose has flavoured Turkish sweets and drinks for centuries, from Turkish delight to the sherbets served at Ottoman feasts.
A light, clear sherbet
Turkish sherbets (şerbet) are cool, sweet drinks made from a fruit or flower syrup diluted with water. Gül şerbeti is one of the simplest: a sugar syrup sharpened with lemon, perfumed with rose water once it cools. The lemon balances the sweetness and keeps the syrup from crystallising.
Making it your own
- Fizzy: use chilled soda water instead of still water.
- With basil seeds: add soaked for a texture Pakistanis will love.
- With milk: a few spoons of syrup in cold milk make a pale rose milk.
Serving
Serve in glasses with plenty of ice on hot afternoons, at iftar, or with Turkish sweets like baklava and revani.
Questions people ask
Can I use fresh rose petals?
Yes, if they're unsprayed and fragrant. Steep a cup of petals in the hot syrup for an hour, then strain.
How is it different from Rooh Afza?
Rooh Afza is a thick, dark syrup with fruits, herbs and spices. Gül şerbeti is just rose, lemon and sugar, so it tastes lighter and more floral.
Can I make it with soda water?
Yes. Chilled soda water makes a lovely fizzy rose drink.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 120
- Protein
- 0 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
