Floral Drink of Rose-Jasmine and Basil (गुलाब मोगरा और तुलसी का शर्बत)

Rose-Jasmine-Basil Cooling Drink

In my garden I had plentyful bloom of fragrant red roses, Indian basil and Mogra. Once I thought of making good use of all these and experimented to make a drink out of them. This unfermented drink was too tasty, cooling and full of fragrance. The goodness of flowers and basil added to the look and flavor of the drink. It was instant hit with my children. 

Now both my children are grwonup, having their families. Few days back the rose, mogra bloomed aplenty and basil(Tulsi) was flourishing in my pot plants. It brought the nostalgic memerois back and I decided to make the floral drink with rose, mogra and basil. 

I share this recipe with all sweet memories of good old days with my kids.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Making Time: 2 hrs (Soaking time)

Servings: Makes 6 glasses of cold drink

Ingredients Required For making Floral Drink:

• Rose Petals (Of fragrant rose, I use American Rose): 50 gm
• Leaves of Indian Basil: 25 gm.
• Jasmine Flower (Mogra Flower): 20-25
• Sugar/Honey as sweetener;2 teaspoon /glass of juice or as per taste
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: 1 Teaspoon /glass of juice

Directions for Making Floral Drink:

• Take freshly plucked rose remove the stalk, sepals, ovary and leaves. Save the petals and rest flower part. Basically all green part should be removed and rest flower parts should be kept for making the drink.
• Remove Green aprt (Sepals and stalk) from Jasmine flower (mogra flower) and give good wash in flowing water. Mix these washed flowers with cleaned roses.
• Remove the leaves of basil from stalk and wash them nicely.
• Mix the basil leaves with rose flower petals in a deep bowl or french press. 
• Boil 250 ml. water and pour it over the mixture of rose and basil. Cover and let it soak for 2 hours. The colour of water will start turning pink. If the basil leaves are of dark colour rather than green then the colur of water will look more like green tea extract.

Flowers and Basil Soaking In Boiling water

After two hours of soaking

• Decant all liquid and discard the solid.

Left over after draining liquid 

Store this decoction in fridge. It stay without spoiling for months together in fridge.

Bottled extract of Rose-Jasmin-Basil 

• Take ghalf glass of the decoction add:
• Chilled water
• 1 Teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sweetner (sugar/honey) as per taste
• Mix well and enjoy the cooling chilled floral drink.
• Once the lemon juice is added the color of decocotion changes to beautiful pink.

Floral drink after and before adding lemon juice

After adding lemon juice and honey 

• The heavenly smell, taste and cooling effect will force you to make it again and again.

Tips:

• Make sure the water is boiling when it is being added to flower-basil mixture.
• Cover the container in which flower-basil mixture is being soaked tightly to ensure the aroma of flowers and basil is seeped in water nicely.

Alternate Suggestions;

• For those who use sugar as sweetner:
• Boil 300 ml. water. Add 50-60 gm sugar and dissolvesugar in water.
• Give one boil to the sugar water solution and pour it over flower-basil mixture and allow to soak.
• This will give the stweetned concoction only lemon juice will need to be added when you want to have this amazing aromatic floral drink.