Jallab is a very popular drink in the Middle East. It’s made by diluting the syrup made of grape molasses, dates and rose water with water and serving it in a tall glass with crushed ice.
By Mayssam Samaha
I grew up in Lebanon where, as a kid, I spent almost every day of every summer frolicking at the beach. There are certain tastes I associated with those carefree summer days, like salty hand-cut fries made even saltier by licking my sea salt laden fingers, or tiny fried fish dunked in hummus and eaten whole, head, bones and all.
This drink is definitely one of those tastes I associate with hot, lazy summer days… It was always a must around mid-afternoon when the sun was at its hottest. The refreshingly sweet taste always managed to quench my thirst but what I loved most about it was the heap of pine nuts and golden raisins that were so much fun to fish out from the bottom of the glass with your straw! 
Jallab is a very popular drink in the Middle East. It’s made by diluting the syrup made of grape molasses, dates and rose water with water and serving it in a tall glass with crushed ice. It’s always topped with nuts, most of the time pine nuts and golden raisins, because a jallab without nuts is not really a jallab.
The jallab syrup can easily be found at any Middle Eastern grocery store. Get yourself some pine nuts and golden raisins while you’re there and you’re ready to make – and taste! – your first jallab!
PrintJallab
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
A refreshingly sweet drink, perfect for those hot summer days!
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp store-bought Jallab syrup
- 1 Tbsp golden raisins
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- Put the Jallab syrup in a tall glass, top with cold water and stir
- Add as much crushed ice as you like
- Top the drink with the raisins and pine nuts
- Prep Time: 5 mins
What a descriptive experience!
I can taste the jallab juice in my mouth.
Thanks for the recipe, will try it this afternoon.
American born Lebanese roots. Looking forward to serving this refreshment to my family Sunday after church. ThAnk you!
Hi Mayssam, I just had my very first Jallab with rose water. pine nuts and golden raisins. So delectable! The rose water exquisitly complemented the fruity grape flavor, while the pine nuts provided the perfect garnish. Everyone should try this beverage post haste!
Your memories are very similar to mine and growing up enjoying the beach every Summer in Egypt definitely involved fried fish and salty french fries! Thanks for bringing back cherished memories that I can’t wait to recreate.