Mint sherbet

The word sherbet comes from the Persian sharbat, itself an adaptation of the Arabic for drink, sharab. Sherbet entered the English language as sorbet, which is now more of an iced dessert or palate cleanser than a drink. British readers of a certain age will remember the sherbet fountain, a fizzy powder sold in a cardboard tube with a piece of liquorice to suck it through. This is a distant relative of Azerbaijani sherbet, as the powder was originally intended to be mixed with water to create a drink.

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 100 g/4 oz piece of sugar loaf or 100 g/4 oz granulated sugar
• 568 ml/1 pint water
• bunch of fresh mint
• ice cubes

Preparation

• Wash the mint leaves, crush slightly by hand or chop roughly and place in a jug.
• Add boiling water and leave for 3 to 4 hours to infuse.
• Filter the sherbet.
• Add the sugar and stir well until it is all dissolved. Check the flavour and add extra sugar or a drop of lemon juice if required.
• Serve chilled or poured over ice cubes.