Sous

Ingredients

Base

• 100 gdried liquorice root, irq sus, crushed
• 2 litrescold water

Also

• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• muslin or a fine cloth

Optional

• 1 tsprosewater
• a strip of lemon peel
• sugar, though it is usually unsweetened

To serve

• ice cold, poured from a height so it foams
• in small glasses

Directions

1. Crush the dried liquorice root, or buy it ready-crushed, which most shops sell.
2. Mix the crushed root with the bicarbonate of soda and a little water into a damp paste, and leave it 30 minutes. The alkali helps extract the glycyrrhizin and the saponins from the root, and the saponins are what make the drink foam.
3. Use it sparingly, since too much gives a soapy taste. Suspend the bundle in the cold water in a large jar or jug.
4. Work it hard, squeezing and releasing it dozens of times over several minutes. Leave it to steep for at least 8 hours, or overnight, in the fridge. Squeeze the bundle again a few times during that period. Now lift the bundle out and squeeze it dry.
5. Taste the liquid. It should be strongly liquoricey, bitter behind the natural sweetness, and quite intense. Add rosewater or a strip of lemon peel if you like, both of which are common.
6. Strain it through fine muslin into a bottle and chill it thoroughly. It must be served genuinely ice cold, and the vendors keep their tanks packed with ice. Shake it hard, then pour it from as high as you can manage into a small glass.
7. Serve it immediately in small glasses, and drink it in one or two goes. It keeps two or three days refrigerated and it will need shaking again before pouring.

Technique

• The brass-tanked vendors are a recognisable street sight across Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
• It is naturally sweet and is normally served without added sugar.
• Tamarind and carob drinks are sold by the same vendors.

Substitutions

• Ready-crushed liquorice root, which is what most people buy.
• There is no substitute; instant liquorice powders are a different product.

Variations

• With rosewater added.
• Made weaker, which is more drinkable in quantity.
• Tamer hindi, the tamarind drink poured the same way.

History

Poured by street vendors with brass tanks who cool it with ice and shake it to raise the foam.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sous?

Sous is a drink from Jordan: bitter-sweet liquorice root infusion served ice cold and foaming. Poured by street vendors with brass tanks who cool it with ice and shake it to raise the foam.

How long does Sous take to make?

Sous takes 15 min plus 8 hr steeping of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sous?

Yes, within limits. Ready-crushed liquorice root, which is what most people buy. There is no substitute; instant liquorice powders are a different product.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sous?

Strain it through fine muslin into a bottle and chill it thoroughly. It must be served genuinely ice cold, and the vendors keep their tanks packed with ice. Shake it hard, then pour it from as high as you can manage into a small glass.