Sababa Sunrise: a non-alcoholic carrot juice mocktail

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually like carrot juice (well, at least mixed with everything else in this recipe)!

Not only is the Sababa Sunrise a picture-worthy drink, it’s healthy too! This carrot juice beverage provides potassium and Vitamin A, providing healthy, glowing skin and boosted immunity. Cardamom is an ingredient that is known to increase your metabolism and improve digestion. I’ll drink to that!

Jump to Recipe

---

About Sababa

Before I jump right into this recipe, I’d like to tell you about the place that inspired me to make the Sababa Sunrise — an Isreli restaurant called Sababa, located in the Cleveland Park of D.C. 

Sababa received two Bib Gourmand distinctions from Michelin (2019 and 2020), which recognizes the restaurant as a place that serves good quality food at a fair value. I went for brunch, which is available from 11am – 3pm. (TIP: I would recommend going there on a Sunday when street parking is free out front.)

In case you’re wondering what “Sababa” means, it’s a Hebrew slang word for “great or cool” and can express enthusiasm and satisfaction. I’ve gotta say, the restaurant lives up to the name! Upon walking in you will notice the interior design is reminiscent of the Mediterranean with hand-painted floor tiles, a long zinc bar, lights hanging from the ceiling, and a lounge area inside a tent. 

• 

• 

The Executive Chef, Ryan Moore, did a great job assembling a menu that represents Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African cuisine.

When you go, you can try a lot of dishes by ordering small plates. Otherwise, full-size entrees are available too. Just don’t leave without trying their hummus! Aside from hummus, I ordered the Fried Cauliflower and Sumac & Onion Marinated Steak Kebab. In my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!

Recipe Inspiration

One menu item that really stood out to me was the refreshing halva juice. It was so good! 

I noticed I wasn’t the only one who Instagram felt also loved the halva juice and brunch at Sababa: 

View this post on Instagram

I’ve been so excited to try #Sababa – Israeli food from the Rasika restaurant group! Wow it was good! What a lovely time catching up with @stephdgee too. #halvaeverything #DCbrunch #sundaybrunch #brunchwithfriends

A post shared by Cassie (@cassiehey21046) on Jul 15, 2018 at 1:07pm PDT

Making the Sababa Sunrise

I’ve been wanting to make Sababa’s “Halva Juice” since I went there, except when I made my version, I made a few alterations.

The restaurant made everything fresh, but I honestly don’t have time or the patience to make pistachio orgeat or carrot juice by hand. Instead, I used pre-made ingredients to speed things up. I also added ginger beer because I think the ginger pairs really well with the other flavors, and the bubbly component makes this more fun to drink as a mocktail. 

All the ingredients and serving accessories I used are linked below for your shopping convenience!

(Disclosure: Eatlikeyoureonvacation.com receives earnings from qualifying purchases made through Amazon, which helps keep the site running. There is no extra cost to you as a consumer.)