Apricot Juice

Apricot juice, also known as qamar al din or amar el din, is a classic Middle Eastern drink made from sun-dried apricots, lightly sweetened, and infused with a hint of floral water.

Middle Eastern drinks are always something special. They’re fragrant, refreshing, and often topped with nuts and served ice cold, from kharnoub made with carob to lemonana with mint and lemon, or for something with a strong flavor try erk sous - it's made with licorice root. Apricot juice, or qamar al din, holds a special place among them.

Depending on where you are in the Middle East, it’s called mashrub qamar al din or amar el din. In Arabic, “mashrub” means drink/beverage, and “qamar al din” translates to “moon of religion.”

You’ll also find qamar al din in other forms, like apricot leather or pudding, but for me, the juice version is the ultimate in the summertime - after all it's very bright and sunny!

Ingredients

To make apricot juice at home, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients:

• Dried apricots – soaked until soft. Some folks like to use chopped apricot leather (the Middle Eastern version) instead, roughly 400g/14oz for this recipe.
• Sweetener – I like to use maple syrup, though sugar is originally used.
• Floral water – a touch of orange blossom water adds a delicate fragrance (a little goes a long way). I've linked in the recipe card below my preferred brand.
• Optional: Top with activated nuts like almonds, pine nuts or sprinkle some coconut shavings or crushed pistachio. In the photos, I've used almonds.

Sometimes, if I have leftover Middle Eastern simple syrup (already infused with sugar and floral water), I’ll use that instead of the sweetener and blossom water.