Best Beverages

Mint Lemonade, Jalab, Tamarind at Zatar

1981 Shattuck (at University), Berkeley, (510) 841-1981, www.zatarrestaurant.com

We are very fond of this snug, eccentric East Bay eatery, which purveys its own brand of "eclectic Mediterranean cuisine" using organic ingredients, including many fruits and vegetables from its own gardens. But we dream about Zatar's distinctive and delicious fruit beverages, including a special frothy mint lemonade, the best we've ever had; the sensual jalab, flavored with date syrup and rose water; and a lemony tamarind drink also perfumed with rose water. In an ideal world, pitchers of each would magically appear in our refrigerator on demand.