Tangy Mint Syrup

While looking through an 1862 Turkish cookbook compiled by Turabi Efendi, I came across a vinegar-sugar syrup scented with sweet marjoram called oxymel. Oxymeli (vinegar-honey) is an ancient Greek word that probably referred to similar sweet-sour drinks in antiquity. Sugar has replaced honey, and people continue to enjoy similar syrupy drinks today, especially in Muslim countries where alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Starting with the old book’s basic reci