Tart Cherry Syrup
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| unsweetened, ready-to-drink tart cherry juice | 120 ml |
| white sugar | 120 g |
Equipment: small saucepan, fine sieve, kitchen scale and measuring jug, clean glass bottle with lid.
About this syrup
Albaloo, the sour cherry, is one of Iran’s summer treasures. In early summer families pit cherries by the kilo to make albaloo polo, jewel-red rice with cherries and saffron served at celebrations, and to cook sharbat-e albaloo, a deep red syrup kept for hot afternoons. Sour cherry jam is a breakfast staple, and lavashak-e albaloo a favorite sour snack.
This syrup brings that sharp, deep cherry flavor to cocktails. It is made from ready-to-drink tart cherry juice so it can be made any time of year; the fresh-fruit version is the seasonal treat.
How to make it
- Combine the juice and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Warm gently over low heat, stirring, only until the sugar dissolves. Don’t reduce it into a sauce.
- Cool, bottle, label with the date and juice brand, and refrigerate.
Yield and storage
- Makes about 195 ml.
- Keep refrigerated and use within 1–2 weeks (provisional). Freeze 15 ml portions for longer.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Concentrate: if you only have tart cherry concentrate, dilute it to drinking strength following the label first.
- Already sweetened juice or syrup: don’t add the full sugar; adjust the cocktail instead.
- Look for Montmorency tart cherry juice in US stores; it is the closest widely available match to albaloo.
- Dull flavor: add a squeeze of lemon (2.5 ml per batch).
Different concepts of this syrup
1. Juice-based tart cherry syrup
The recipe above. The house standard.
2. Fresh or frozen sour cherry — sharbat-e albaloo
Simmer 250 g pitted sour cherries (fresh in June, or frozen from Persian grocers) with 150 ml water for 10 minutes. Strain without pressing, measure, and add 1 g sugar per ml. Brighter and more aromatic.
3. Cherry and rose
Add a few drops of culinary rose water per 100 ml. Elegant and floral.
4. Cherry with cinnamon and cardamom
Warm the juice with a small cinnamon stick and 2 crushed cardamom pods for 5 minutes before adding sugar. Wintery and spiced.
5. Cherry-almond
Add 1 drop of pure almond extract per 100 ml. Echoes the almond note of cherry pits.
6. Beyond cocktails
- Sharbat-e albaloo: 30 ml syrup, cold water, ice and a few cherries.
- Drizzle over yogurt, ice cream or rice pudding.
Allergen note
No common allergens.
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- Record juice brand; compare against a fresh or frozen sour-cherry batch.