Saaghi ساقی The Persian Home Bar
An imagined scene from Zagros & Kurdistan
Chapter 5 of 10 · 7 drinks

Zagros & Kurdistan

زاگرس و کردستان

Mountain meadows, wild rhubarb from Hawraman and pearl-white foam from Kermanshah.

Backdrop and props for this chapter: olive and earth tones, stone, kilim.

The drinks

7 cocktails

Zagros Meadow illustrated card

Zagros Meadow

مرغزار زاگرس
Gin, doogh, cucumber and wild mint, as the nomads drink it.
 Hawraman Rivas illustrated card

Hawraman Rivas

ریواس هورامان
Wild rhubarb, mint and honey, the first sour taste of a Kurdish spring.
 Kermanshah Pearl illustrated card

Kermanshah Pearl

مروارید کرمانشاه
Clean, soft and fragrant, served with Kermanshah's rice cookies.
 Tuyserkan Old Fashioned illustrated card

Tuyserkan Old Fashioned

اولدفشن تویسرکان
Malayer grapes and Tuyserkan walnuts, the Zagros winter table in a glass.
 Shirazi Avishan Smash illustrated card

Shirazi Avishan Smash

اسمش آویشن شیرازی
Wild thyme from the hills above Shiraz, honey, lemon and mint on crushed ice.
 Seh Angoor illustrated card

Seh Angoor

سه انگور
One fruit, three ways: raisin spirit, unripe-grape verjuice and Malayer grape molasses, in a single cold glass.
 Somagh illustrated card

Somagh

سماق
The kebab table's sour trio, pomegranate, sour cherry and sekanjebin, with aragh under a foam dusted with sumac.
Pantry for this chapter

What you'll make first

All syrups & preparations
Syrup

Cardamom Syrup

شربت هل
spice syrup · Persian Gulf coast and across Iran
Used in 7 drinks
Syrup

Mint Sekanjebin

سکنجبین
sweet-sour vinegar syrup · across Iran
Used in 6 drinks
Syrup

Tart Cherry Syrup

شربت آلبالو
fruit syrup · across Iran
Used in 5 drinks
Syrup

Honey Syrup

شربت عسل
honey syrup · Ardabil (Mount Sabalan) and Iran's mountains
Used in 6 drinks
Syrup

Rhubarb Cordial

شربت ریواس
fruit cordial · Kurdistan (Hawraman)
Used in 1 drink
Preparation

Aquafaba

آب نخود
foaming agent · n/a
Used in 6 drinks
Preparation

Plain Saline

محلول نمک
saline solution · n/a
Used in 8 drinks
Preparation

Still Doogh

دوغ
dairy · Zagros and across Iran
Used in 2 drinks
Juice

Fresh Lemon and Lime Juice

آب لیمو تازه
fresh juice · across Iran
Used in 44 drinks
Juice

Fresh Cucumber Juice

آب خیار
fresh juice · across Iran
Used in 4 drinks
Juice

Fresh Pomegranate Juice

آب انار
fresh juice · Saveh, Yazd and across Iran
Used in 6 drinks
Syrup

Grape Molasses Syrup (Shireh-ye Angoor)

شیرهٔ انگور
fruit syrup · Hamadan (Malayer) and Azerbaijan
Used in 3 drinks
Syrup

Walnut Orgeat

شربت گردو
nut syrup · Hamadan (Tuyserkan) and the Zagros
Used in 1 drink
Syrup

Shirazi Thyme and Honey Syrup (Avishan)

شربت آویشن شیرازی و عسل
herb syrup · Fars hills and the Zagros
Used in 1 drink