Sour Cherry and Rose Water Şerbet
A clear syrup of sour cherries and honey, perfumed with rose water, diluted with fresh water. Tart, floral, and refreshing, it is the noble drink that replaces wine and closes each service.
A clear syrup of sour cherries and honey, perfumed with rose water, diluted with fresh water. Tart, floral, and refreshing, it is the noble drink that replaces wine and closes each service.
Do you think a sultan drinks wine? Our Law forbids it, and I prefer a thousand times this ruby şerbet. We press the tart sour cherries, marry them with honey and a breath of rose water, then — luxury above all — we chill it with snow that my horsemen bring down from the mountains of Bithynia. Drink it ice-cold after the meat: it cleanses the mouth, awakens the spirit, and quenches thirst better than any infidel liquor. At my table, hospitality begins with this cup.
- •Sour cherries (vişne) — a good measure (tart fruit)
- •Honey — as needed (sweetener)
- •Rose water — a few drops (floral aroma)
- •Fresh water — as needed (dilution)
- •Snow or ice — as available (chilling)
Sour Cherry and Rose Water Şerbet
A clear syrup of sour cherries and honey, perfumed with rose water, diluted with fresh water. Tart, floral, and refreshing, it is the noble drink that replaces wine and closes each service.
Why this dish? Since alcohol is forbidden, şerbet reigns on Ottoman tables: a drink of sugar, fruit, and flowers, served cold, sometimes chilled with snow brought down from the mountains for the sultan. At Mehmed II's court, it was offered to guests as a sign of hospitality and refinement.
Do you think a sultan drinks wine? Our Law forbids it, and I prefer a thousand times this ruby şerbet. We press the tart sour cherries, marry them with honey and a breath of rose water, then — luxury above all — we chill it with snow that my horsemen bring down from the mountains of Bithynia. Drink it ice-cold after the meat: it cleanses the mouth, awakens the spirit, and quenches thirst better than any infidel liquor. At my table, hospitality begins with this cup.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sour cherries (vişne) — a good measure (tart fruit)
- Honey — as needed (sweetener)
- Rose water — a few drops (floral aroma)
- Fresh water — as needed (dilution)
- Snow or ice — as available (chilling)
Ingredients
- Sour cherries (fresh or frozen, pitted) — 400 g (tart fruit)
- Honey — 150 g (or sugar) (sweetener)
- Rose water — 1 tsp (floral aroma)
- Water — 1 liter (250 ml for syrup) (dilution)
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp (optional) (brightness)
- Ice cubes — as needed (chilled serving)
Method
- Simmer the sour cherries with 250 ml water and honey for 15 minutes, until the fruit bursts.
- Strain, pressing to extract a clear syrup, and let cool slightly.
- Stir in the rose water and, if desired, the lemon juice.
- Refrigerate the concentrate; to serve, dilute with fresh water (1 part syrup to 3 parts water).
- Serve very cold, over ice, in goblets.
How it was made : Şerbet is abundantly documented in Ottoman culture: fruit syrups (sour cherry, pomegranate, quince), flower syrups (rose, violet), and spice syrups, stored concentrated and then diluted with water, chilled with snow (kar) brought to the palace. Sugar, a luxury good, was used alongside honey.
The contemporary twist : Served as a non-alcoholic spritz, topped with sparkling water and a mint leaf: the “Bosphorus Şerbet.”
Mehmet II · Charactorium