Rooh Afza: the rose syrup of every Pakistani iftar, and six ways to drink it

At sunset during Ramadan, across Pakistan, the same thing happens on millions of tables. Dates are passed around, someone brings out pakoras, and a jug of something bright red or pale pink appears. That is Rooh Afza: a thick, rose-scented syrup that turns cold water, milk or lemonade into the drink that breaks the fast.

If you have seen the bottle in a South Asian grocery and wondered what it is, this is the guide.

What is Rooh Afza?

Rooh Afza is a concentrated syrup made from sugar, flavoured with rose and a blend of fruit and herb extracts. You do not drink it neat. You stir a spoonful or two into something cold. The result tastes floral, sweet and a little like a rose-flavoured fruit punch, and it is served ice cold.

The name comes from Persian and Urdu: rooh means soul and afza means something that increases or lifts it, so it is usually translated as “refresher of the soul”. On a 45-degree afternoon in Karachi, that is not marketing.

A Delhi syrup that became three companies

Rooh Afza was created in 1907 in Delhi by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, a practitioner of Unani medicine, the Greek-Persian healing tradition long practised in South Asia. He designed it as a cooling drink against the heat of North Indian summers, sold through his herbal clinic, Hamdard.

Then came Partition. In 1947 the family, like the subcontinent, split. One son, Hakeem Abdul Hameed, stayed in India and ran Hamdard there. His younger brother, Hakim Mohammed Said, moved to Pakistan and founded a separate Hamdard Pakistan in Karachi, which went on to make Rooh Afza for Pakistan. When East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971, Hamdard Pakistan’s operation there became a third company, Hamdard Bangladesh.

So today there are three Rooh Afzas, from three independent companies, in three countries. They share a name, a history and a familiar bottle, but they are made separately.

Pakistani or Indian Rooh Afza: how to tell

Many online listings outside South Asia are for the Indian product. Neither is “fake”, but if you want the one Pakistani families grew up with:

• Look for “Hamdard Pakistan” and “Product of Pakistan” on the label or in the listing.
• Check the address on the back. The Pakistani bottle is made in Karachi.
• Ask the seller if the listing photo is unclear. Pakistani grocers usually know exactly which one they stock.

Many Pakistanis will tell you theirs tastes different. Recipes and sweeteners can vary between the companies and over time, so the honest answer is: try both, and drink the one you like.

Six ways to drink Rooh Afza

1. Classic sharbat

The everyday version. Stir one to two tablespoons of Rooh Afza into a tall glass of very cold water, add ice, and stir again. A squeeze of lemon or lime cuts the sweetness nicely.

2. Doodh sharbat (Rooh Afza with milk)

Cold milk turns a soft pink and tastes like rose milkshake. This is the iftar favourite in many homes, and the recipe is below.

3. With basil seeds

Pakistanis add tukh malanga, small black basil seeds that swell into little jelly-coated pearls when soaked. They give the drink texture and are believed to be cooling. Soak a teaspoon in water for fifteen minutes before adding.

4. Rooh Afza lemonade, or sparkling

Mix Rooh Afza into fresh lemonade, or top it with soda water, lime and a few mint leaves for a fizzy rose drink. It also works as a mocktail base with crushed ice.

5. Falooda

The grand dessert-drink of Pakistani food streets: thin vermicelli noodles, basil seeds, cold milk sweetened with Rooh Afza, and a scoop of kulfi or vanilla ice cream on top, eaten with a spoon and a straw.

6. On ice and ice cream

Drizzle it over gola ganda, the shaved-ice treat sold from carts in Karachi summers, or over kulfi and vanilla ice cream. A little goes a long way.

Recipe

Rooh Afza doodh sharbat with basil seeds

Makes

2 glasses

Prep

20 min

Cook

0 min

You need

• 1 teaspoon basil seeds (tukh malanga / sabja)
• 100 ml water, to soak the seeds
• 500 ml cold whole milk
• 3–4 tablespoons Rooh Afza, to taste
• Ice cubes
• Optional: chopped pistachios or a spoonful of vanilla ice cream

Method

1. Soak the basil seeds in the water for about 15 minutes, until each one has a soft, jelly-like coat.
2. Stir the Rooh Afza into the cold milk until the milk turns an even pink.
3. Divide the soaked seeds between two tall glasses and add ice.
4. Pour the pink milk over the top and stir.
5. Top with pistachios or a scoop of ice cream if you like, and serve straight away.

Start with less syrup than you think. Rooh Afza is very sweet, and you can always add more.

When Pakistanis drink it

Ramadan is Rooh Afza’s season. After a day without food or water in summer heat, a cold, sweet drink at iftar feels essential, and Rooh Afza is the traditional choice. Sales peak during the month, and Pakistani grocers abroad stack it by the door.

Outside Ramadan, it is a summer drink, offered to guests when they arrive on a hot day, served at weddings and mixed into milk for children.

Buying and storing it

• One bottle makes a lot of drinks. A tablespoon per glass is a good starting point.
• Keep it closed and out of direct sunlight, and check the label for storage advice and the best-before date.
• Pakistani grocers stock it year round, and it is easy to find online.

Other Pakistani drinks to try

If you like Rooh Afza, try Pakola, the bright green ice-cream soda from Karachi, and finish a big meal the way Peshawar does, with a small cup of kahwa, green tea brewed with cardamom. And if you prefer your drinks hot and milky, try our Pakistani chai recipe.