
Sumac and Saffron Refresher
A delicious middle eastern dish. Completely plant-based. Gluten-free friendly. Dairy-free option.
Total Time
151 min
Serves
6
Rating
0.0 (0)
Ingredients
- 15 to 20 saffron strands
- plus a few extra strands for garnish
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 3 green cardamom pods
- smashed
- ¼ cup (30 g) ground sumac
- 3 cups (700 ml) chilled club soda or water
Instructions
- 1
Grind the saffron with 2 Tbsp. of sugar to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
- 2
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup (240 ml) water, sugar, cardamom, and powdered saffron mixture and bring to simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- 3
Remove from the heat and stir in the sumac.
- 4
Cover the saucepan with a lid and let it steep for 30 minutes, no more.
- 5
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and chill before ready to serve.
- 6
To serve, fill four tall glasses with ice.
- 7
In a large pitcher, stir the syrup with the chilled club soda or water.
- 8
Pour 1 cup (120 ml) of the drink into each glass.
- 9
Garnish each glass with 1 or 2 saffron strands.
- 10
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- 11
Sumac is rich in citric, malic, and tartaric acids but also bitter tannins.
- 12
Steeping it in water dissolves the water-soluble acids.
- 13
Gallotannin, one of the main tannins present in sumac, is bitter to taste and dissolves in water easily.
- 14
Avoid steeping the sumac for too long or its tannins will make the syrup bitter.
- 15
Saffron is ground to a fine powder using a little sugar as an abrasive.