I screw the cap off. It says ’’Hamdard Laboratories. Made in Waqf, Pakistan’’. ’’I always knew you had terrorist sympathies’’, he jokes. Pakistani or not Pakistani, Rooh Afzah is still Rooh Afzah. Let’s just call it South Asian. Hamdard Laboratories. That’s funny. No one needs a hamdard when they have Rooh Afzah to comfort them.
I pour the syrup in and watch it swirl into a deeper crimson. It coolly slithers down my throat and I let the glass down. Try it with ice cream or carbonated water too. For those of you that are trying to count the calories, the only problem is that Rooh Afzah contains tons of sugar. In fact, it probably isn’t that popular because it’s so sugary. Maybe they’ll come out with a ’’Diet’’ Rooh Afzah. Until then you can dilute it some more or maybe drink it only occasionally. But it is definitely worth drinking. And here in America it is unbelievably inexpensive. After you’re done you can always use the bottle as a flower vase. Rooh afza is music liquefied. Rooh ko seedha jannat tak pohchaon.