Apricot-Skin Tea

Apricot-skin tea, also called apricot-skin water, is a traditional Hexi cooling drink brewed from local dried apricots with water and rock sugar, strained into an amber, tart-sweet and refreshing cup.

Apricot-skin tea originated in the Gansu Hexi Corridor; the Dunhuang-Jiayuguan belt is rich in apricots, and folk long ago brewed the dried fruit into a summer cooler that became a beloved northwest drink.

Best served chilled, tart-sweet and thirst-quenching, it cuts the richness of grilled skewers and is an inseparable companion at the Jiayuguan night market.

Its amber colour, tart-sweet apricot fragrance and cooling, grease-cutting character, and its natural pairing with northwest grills, are what make apricot-skin tea so appealing.