14 drinks to quench your thirst this Ramadan

The most popular Ramadan drink in the Levant and Egypt, Qamar El Din is one of the many great things we owe Syria. 

The popular drink is made from dried apricot paste sheets that are soaked in boiling water with some extra sugar. It is served cold with or without a few drops of rose water.  

Tamar Hindi or Indian dates is a very popular refreshing cold beverage in the Arab world. 

It tastes sour and is made by breaking the tamarind fruit, soaking it in water then sifting it. 

The juice is then sweetened with sugar, chilled and served cold. 

This delicious starchy milk drink is super popular in Egypt and the Hijaz region of Saudi Arabia. 

Sobia can be white (like in Egypt) or dyed red (like in Saudi Arabia).

Everyone loves this drink especially children. It is traditionally prepared by soaking powdered rice over night (this is where the starch comes from), then mixing it with coconut powder, milk, and sugar. 

Sobia is enjoyed cold; it's perfect after a long summer day of fasting. 

The popular nutritious drink native to Syria is also popular in the Levant during the holy month. 

It is made of dates, grape molasses and a touch of rose water, served cold with ice cubes and topped with pine nuts. 

This licorice drink is served cold throughout the year, but in Ramadan many people in the Levant countries and Egypt just can't get enough of it. 

Ark sous is put in special traditional containers made of copper or glass to keep it chilled.  

This sweet treat is essentially a fruit salad; it's made of dried fruits, apricots, plums, figs,  dates, and raisins. 

They are boiled together and the mix is sweetened to taste and flavored with rose water. It is then chilled and served cold at iftar.  

This is the ultimate staple Ramadan mix. The dates are cut in half and soaked or boiled in milk, sweetened to taste, and served chilled. 

Karkade, 3enab, or hibiscus tea is very popular all year long, but in Ramadan its consumption soars to a whole new level especially in Egypt and Sudan. 

The sweet drink can be served hot or cold. 

The two most popular Ramadan drinks in Aswan and Nubia in southern Egypt and in Sudan are abrei and hilomor. 

The white Nubian abrei is prepared from baked sheets of wheat and corn flour mixed with spices. The dry sheets are cut into smaller pieces and mixed with sweetened lemon juice or just sweetened cold water. 

The popular hilomor drink is like a brown version of abrei. It is prepared from toasted sheets of corn flour, herbs and a mix of spices. 

The  two are staple Ramadan beverages. 

In Egypt and Sudan, the doum fruit is sold in herb shops, and is so popular among school children, with its sweet yet sour hard fibrous flesh hidden beneath a shiny, hard crust. 

Doum Juice is made by breaking the dried fruits or grinding them into a fine powder and boiling them in water. 

After sifting the hot doum juice, it is then sweetened to taste and chilled. 

This dried lime drink native to Basra, Iraq, is a favorite during Ramadan. It is flavored with a few drops of rose water, and a pinch of ground cardamom. 

Moomi basra tastes sour and lemony but also has an earthy and somewhat smoky flavor. Noomi Basra can be served hot or cold. 

Another refreshing cold beverage from Iraq, this one is native to Mosul. 

It is made of raisins and mint leaves. The Iraqi table is never complete without this pleasant drink. 

Kharroub or carob juice, is one of the most popular traditional drinks throughout the Arab world. 

In Libya, Sudan and Egypt, it's the perfect cold beverage to consumer during hot summer days and of course during Ramadan. 

The healthy and refreshing drink is rich in fibers, protein and antioxidants. 

We're used to tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber with cheese, but Ramadan is here we need some sugar too. 

Watermelon or grapes with cheese are our suhoor hero. 

So make sure you stock up on the fruits!