Rose Cucumber Cooler | Mocktail Recipe

A rose syrup drink has been made across North Africa and the Middle East for centuries — sweet, floral, cut with something bright. This is our version. Simple enough to make on a weeknight, elegant enough to serve to guests.

The base is a Villa Jerada rose petal syrup — just sugar, water, and dried roses, cooked down until fragrant. From there it takes minutes. Sparkling water, a squeeze of lime, a sprig of mint. The cucumber is optional and quietly transformative.

Non-alcoholic by nature. Easily made otherwise.

Ingredients

For the rose syrup

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tbsp Villa Jerada dried rose buds

To serve

• ⅓ cup rose syrup

• ⅔ cup sparkling water (or to taste)

• 1 squeeze fresh lime 1 sprig fresh mint Ice

Optional

3–4 slices cucumber

muddled Splash of prosecco or sparkling wine in place of sparkling water

Serves 2 · Ready in 20 minutes

Method

1. Make the rose syrup: combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add rose buds and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and cool completely. Syrup keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

2. Place 3–4 cucumber slices and a sprig of fresh mint into the bottom of your glass. Muddle together gently — just enough to release the juice and oils without turning everything bitter. You'll smell when it's ready.

3. Fill the glass with ice. Pour in rose syrup, then sparkling water. Adjust the ratio to your preferred sweetness — start with ⅓ syrup to ⅔ water and go from there.

4. Squeeze in the lime. Stir once gently. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and serve immediately.

For a sparkling wine version: replace the sparkling water with prosecco.

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Mast-o Khiar | Persian Yogurt Cucumber Dip

Mast o Khiar — yogurt and cucumber — is one of the oldest and most quietly essential dishes in Persian cuisine. It appears at nearly every table, every meal: alongside rice, next to grilled meats, as a first thing set down when guests arrive. The name says exactly what it is. The dish does the rest.

In its most traditional form it is yogurt, cucumber, and dried mint. What makes this version distinctly Villa Jerada is the finish — a scatter of dried Moroccan roses and a pinch of sumac that brings a quiet tartness, bright against the cool yogurt.

Serve it cold. Make it ahead. It keeps well and improves by the hour.

Serves 4 · Ready in 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt

• 2 Persian cucumbers, finely diced (or 1 English cucumber, seeded)

• ¼ red onion, very finely diced

• Small handful fresh mint, roughly chopped

• ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp golden raisins

• ½ tsp Villa Jerada sumac

• Juice of 1 lime

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil, to finish

• 1 tsp Villa Jerada dried rose buds, to garnish

Method

1. If using English cucumber, halve lengthwise, scoop out seeds with a spoon, and dice finely. Salt lightly, let sit 10 minutes, then pat dry. Persian cucumbers can go straight in.

2. In a bowl, stir the yogurt until smooth. Fold in the cucumber, red onion, fresh mint, walnuts, golden raisins, lime juice, sumac, and salt.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning — the lime and sumac should brighten without dominating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors need time to settle.

4. To serve, spoon into a shallow bowl and spread with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with olive oil. Finish with a scatter of Villa Jerada rose buds and a pinch of sumac.