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Sekanjabin is an ancient Persian syrup that is not well known in the US, but it definitely should be! When made into a drink, it is like lemonade – sweet, sour, and refreshing. But instead of lemon juice, it uses vinegar for the tartness. The word sekanjabin comes from Persian words that literally translate to honeyed vinegar.

Glasses of sekanjabin syrup and drinks on a tray

Sekanjabin

Sheryl Nance-Durst
The most common flavor is mint, but my favorites are raspberry or strawberry-ginger.
It's super easy to make, and all of the amounts listed can be adjusted to your taste.
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Course Drinks

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups sugar or 1 ½ cups honey
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • Flavoring – a handful of fresh mint or 1 cup of crushed fruit

Instructions
 

  • Gather your ingredients.
    sekanjabin ingredients
  • Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.
    sekanjabin adding the sugar
  • Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
    sekanjabin adding the water
  • Add vinegar and flavorings (mint, crushed fruit, ginger, etc.) and return to a boil.
    sekanjabin adding the flavorings
  • Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens just a bit, 20-30 minutes.
  • Let cool in the pan.
  • Strain out mint/fruit and store the syrup in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.

To drink:

  • Mix 2 to 4 tablespoons of the syrup into 1 cup of water or club soda. Serve over ice.
  • If you like, you can even add a little rose water or thinly sliced cucumber into the glass to add a little something extra. This drink is called sharbat-e sekanjabin.
    Glasses of sekanjabin syrup and drinks on a tray

As a dip:

  • Another traditional way to use the syrup is to dip crunchy lettuce like romaine leaves into it. When I do this, I like to refrigerate the syrup so that it’s nice and cold before dipping.