Tajrish
The Tajrish juice bar after dark: carrot, cardamom, basil and a slice of chili with vodka, under a cinnamon-dusted foam.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | ml | oz |
|---|---|---|
| Vodka | 45 ml | 1½ oz |
| Fresh carrot juice · homemade, J10 | 45 ml | 1½ oz |
| Fresh lime juice · homemade, J01 | 20 ml | ⅔ oz |
| Cardamom syrup · homemade, P03 | 15 ml | ½ oz |
| Fresh basil (reyhan) leaves | 4 leaves | |
| Fresh red chili | 1 thin slice | |
| Aquafaba · homemade, P18 | 15 ml | ½ oz |
Ounces are rounded; measure in ml for accuracy. Homemade items link to their own page.
chilled coupe
dry shake, then shaken with ice, served up
a line of ground cinnamon across the foam and one small basil leaf
The story
Tajrish square, at the top of Tehran where the city runs into the mountain, is bazaar, shrine, bus station and juice bar all at once. The juice bars run until midnight, pressing carrots by the crate, and the famous glass is carrot juice with saffron ice cream sinking into it. Ab-Havij Bastani is that glass; this is its savoury cousin for later in the evening. Carrot juice and vodka, cardamom syrup for the warmth, basil leaves and a slice of chili shaken in, lime to keep it honest, and a foam with a line of cinnamon on top the way the juice bar dusts the ice cream. The leaves, the chili and the syrup go in as they are.
Method
- Chill a coupe.
- Dry shake the vodka, carrot juice, lime juice, cardamom syrup, basil leaves, chili slice and aquafaba without ice for 10 seconds.
- Add ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
- Double-strain into the coupe, let the foam settle, draw a line of cinnamon across it and float a small basil leaf.
How it tastes
Sweet carrot and cardamom first, then basil’s clove note, lime, and a slow chili warmth at the end, with cinnamon on the nose. Bright orange under a pale foam. Savoury, not a dessert.
Persian taste: shirin (sweet), tond (hot), warm
Pair it with
- Food: Kuku sabzi, or a plate of olivieh salad.
- Sweet: A scoop of saffron ice cream, which turns it back into the original.
- Snack: Sambuseh from Tajrish bazaar
Variations
Bastani
Drop a small scoop of saffron ice cream on top: Ab-Havij Bastani, the dessert version.
Ginger
5 ml ginger syrup in the shaker, the way Tehran juicers add a thumb of ginger.
No heat
Leave out the chili.
Balancing tips
- Press the carrots within the hour; the juice browns.
- One thin chili slice; it is a warmth, not a burn.
- Muddle nothing; the shake bruises the basil enough.
Allergens
- No common allergens.
- Contains alcohol. Please drink responsibly.
Development notes
- Status: original recipe draft v0.1, not yet taste-tested.
- Test cardamom syrup at 10 and 15 ml.
- Try a cinnamon-cardamom syrup as one preparation.
Watch it mixed
Follow along
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Tajrish, north Tehran, imagined
