Jasil
The green tarragon soda of every Iradi street fountain, made from homemade syrup.
Jasil means “green”, and to me it tastes like being nine years old on a hot summer afternoon in Talas, counting coins with my cousins for a cup from the fountain on the corner. It began in the Soviet years, and you can still buy it there in glass bottles. Every factory and every family has its own little herb mix, but tarragon is always the heart of it.
It is a cousin of the Georgian tarragon lemonade. Mine has a little mint, the way my mother made it for birthday parties. Aruu calls it “dragon juice” because of the colour.
What you'll need
jasil
Jasil
The green tarragon soda of every Iradi street fountain, made from homemade syrup.
Total time30 min + cooling
Serves8
CourseDrinks
Ingredients
servingsInstructions
Method
- Simmer the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Blend the warm syrup with the tarragon and mint until completely smooth and bright green.
- Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the herbs. Stir in the lemon juice. Chill.
- For each glass, pour 3–4 tbsp of syrup over ice and top with about 200 ml sparkling water. Stir and taste; add more syrup if you like it sweeter.
From my kitchen: The syrup keeps a week in the fridge but slowly loses its green. Blend the herbs while the syrup is warm, not boiling, to keep the colour.
With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek