Raisin Drink - عصير الزبيب

Here's a unique recipe for a raisin drink commonly made in Ramadan, I remember our relatives in Kurdistan showing my mother how to make this and they said it was very healthy to drink.

We use a specific raisin, it's almost black and looks almost dusty but it plumps up nicely once soaked and the process is very easy to prepare. I had a hard time finding these raisins in the west but came upon them at an Afghani store, you can try looking at middle eastern/arabic/persian stores and you may find it if you're interested in trying it.

It is not necessary to add any sugar to this drink, although some people do but I find it sweet enough and one can adjust more concentrated juice according to their taste or thin it out with some water.

I would suggest making a small amount because it does not keep or I'm afraid it would ferment so to prevent this I also boil some water in the kettle and sterilize all my equipment like blender, bowl, strainer, ladle and a container to keep it in the fridge.

Also you will need some water to add to the juice so I added boiled water to a pitcher and set it aside to cool down.

The night before I soaked the raisins after washing them well and pouring some boiling water over once and then rinsing well and soaking in clear water.

Pulse the raisins in the blender and add as much water as needed to easily blend them then put the mixture through a strainer.

Chill and serve!