A sweetened, floral-scented infusion of Saffron. A Sharbat is an Middle Eastern floral or fruit drink of often created from concentrate.
Saffron Sharbat
by Anu Apte, Rob Roy, Seattle, WA
Created for the Sandlewood Sour
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup rosewater
1/4 rounded tsp. saffron
1 Tbs. boiling water
Place 1 Tbs. boiling water into a small bowl and add crushed saffron threads. Steep for 15 minutes. Add rosewater.
Mix water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and dissolve. Add rosewater saffron mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and store in bottle. Store in refrigerator. You can leave in saffron threads or strain. Makes enough for 16 cocktails. Can also be used as a flavored syrup with soda water.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharbat">Wikipedia on Sharbat</a>