Alu bukhara arrives in the markets for only a few weeks, dusty purple and heavy with juice, and the old way of keeping that season was to turn it into sharbat. Laraib presses the fruit at its peak, when the sugars and the tartness are in balance, so the finished syrup tastes of ripe plum rather than of sweetness alone. It is the most refreshing bottle in the range.
What it is traditionally used for
- Taken to cut the severity of thirst on the hottest days
- Long used to increase and sharpen a poor appetite
- Given traditionally to help check vomiting and a turning stomach
- Regarded in Unani practice as beneficial in bilious (safra) complaints
- Drunk simply for its cooling, delicious and reviving character
How it is made
Whole plums from single-origin Punjab orchards are washed, stoned and cold-pressed for their juice, which is then clarified and brought to syrup over low, patient heat so the fruit’s colour and tartness survive. Nothing artificial is added — no plum essence, no colouring, no preservative. What is in the bottle came out of the fruit.
How to take it
Pour 2 tablespoons, about 30 ml, into a tall glass of chilled water and stir well; once or twice a day is plenty. It is best over ice with a squeeze of lemon in the afternoon heat. Shake before pouring, and dilute a little further for children.
Good to know
- Supplied in an 800 ml family bottle
- Prepared from pure ingredients, 100% natural, Halal
- Contains sugar; not suitable on a sugar-restricted diet
- Refrigerate after opening and use within two months
Danish Nasir (verified owner) –
My appetite had been poor after a bout of fever. A glass of this before lunch helped more than I expected. Arrived in Okara well wrapped, no leakage.
Tariq Mehmood (verified owner) –
Genuinely refreshing and I like that the colour is natural rather than that bright red you see elsewhere. Slightly sweeter than I would like, so I use one spoon instead of two and it is perfect.
Umair Rashid (verified owner) –
Karachi in June is unbearable and this with ice and a little lemon has replaced cola in our fridge. My son asks for it after school. Good thick syrup, a little goes far.
Farah Ahmed (verified owner) –
Tastes like the plums my grandmother used to dry on the roof in Multan. Sharp and sweet at the same time, not sickly. We finished the first bottle in three weeks between four people.