Rhubarb, Cardamom, and Rose Water Sharbat

A sharbat is a sweet, sometimes floral, fruit drink common in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. (The word is derived from Persian.) They are usually served chilled. This sharbat was inspired by some leftover rhubarb purée from a dessert I’d created for my column in the San Francisco Chronicle. The purée’s vibrant shade of red and irresistible aromas from cardamom and rose water convinced me it would make a wonderful base for a sharbat.