Spiced Ramadan Drink
- 11-12 c. Water
- 1 bunch Purple Basil
- ½ – ¾ c. Sugar
- 2 T. Lemon Juice
- 3 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 pinches Ground Cloves
- Place the Water in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Wash Purple Basil well. Use your hands to rip into pieces and place in the pot of boiling Water.
- Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil then time for 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat, remove lid and allow to steep while it cools to room temperature.
- Pour into a pitcher through a sieve (discard all the pieces that collect in the sieve).
- Refrigerate until fully chilled, then enjoy this refreshing and nutritious drink.
Note: if you prefer the more traditional red color over this natural purple color, add a few plums and a couple drops of red food coloring while cooking.
Boiling all of the yummy goodness, and then allowing to steep,
Afiyet olsun! Bon Appétit
Stephanie
Hi Jale! I don’t know if we can get purple mint where we are. Does this work as well with regular mint? I would love it if it did! Yummy!
Jale
Hi Stephanie! I’m so sorry for my late response. I had emergency back surgery and am only now getting to my feet again. Actually there is no mint in this drink, but purple basil. I am not used to cooking with Purple Basil but it is sold in abundance in Turkey so I could easily use it for this drink. An alternative recipe that I’m told works (but I haven’t tried myself) is:
1 liter water
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
Several whole cloves
Ginger Root
2 red plums or 1 cup sour cherries
Red Food Color to enhance the color
Jerri
Hi! This sounds really good. We have purple basil growing wild here. I hope it’s the same. I will look for some and try this. Yum! 😉