3 Summer drinks which are better than your carbonated fizz or concentrate
SO, the summer is here! And the only nice thing you’ve probably loved about it is your entitlement to drinking refrigerated water, guzzling cans & bottles of aerated beverages & lots of ice-cream! Oh well, I’ve been there, done all that a few years ago & you see you can never get enough of blaming it on your throat. But, are beverages labelled with the statutory “Contains No fruit” what you love calling your summer drinks?
Really?
With all the health talk around soft drinks that aren’t too ‘soft’ on your health, there certainly is a call we need to take. To break free from the detrimental shackles of obesity, diabetes, metabolic issues, cancer, dental erosion & Oh! Every research will append a new disease to the list.
Or if you thought your favorite packaged juice brand offered you the best ‘fruit’ nutrition besides quenching your summer thirst, here’s a discussion that I took up sometime ago. Concentrates laden with preservatives & artificial flavors really do not make up for summer drinks you deserve.
So, here are some easy, quick & irresistibly tasty summer drinks you can make at home. And they have the best takeaways for you:
- Better Health
- Improved Metabolism
- No risks associated with added sugar, corn syrup, chemical flavors & preservatives (integrally included in packaged juices & aerated drinks)
Summer Drink# 1 : Spiced Indian Buttermilk
Buttermilk has its splendid share of various health benefits, here’s a simple recipe to make a spiced version of it. If you’d want to learn to make the authentic Indian buttermilk, you can check out this post. Alternatively, you could mix about 300g of yogurt with a quantity of water to dilute it to being it to your desired consistency.
But NO! You don’t make buttermilk by mixing butter & milk like many people think!:-)
Spiced Indian Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 400 ml Buttermilk
- 5 nos. Garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp Grated ginger
- 1 no. Green chilly (slit) (optional)/replaced with 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 5 nos. Curry Leaves
- 1/2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing) powder
Instructions
-
1. Prepare the buttermilk
2. In a tempering pan, add oil & all the above ingredients (except for salt & coriander leaves).
3. Pour this tempered lot over the buttermilk.
4. Add salt as per your taste
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.
6. Serve chilled.
What’s great about this drink?
- The combination of ginger & garlic in this drink aids better digestion after an overwhelming spicy meal. Thus, it prevents bloating if consumed after a sumptuous meal.
- Buttermilk itself is a great drink that fights acidity or heartburn.
- It has an amazing cooling effect on your body, which is what summer drinks are meant for!
- It’s really tasty!
Summer Drink# 2: Kokum Sherbet/Solkadhi
The Kokum fruit is very much a part of the western coastal cuisine of India, particularly in Maharashtra, Gujarat & Goa. It’s quite used to make the usual curries & beverages, mostly variants of summer drinks. This drink is traditionally called, “Sol-Kadhi” or simply Kokum Sherbet, which uses the dried Kokum fruit as its main ingredient. Apart from the fantastic sweet & tangy taste, its color is deep enough to entice your senses!
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you should you click through & use it to make a purchase.
If you do not have access to buying the dried Kokum fruit near you, you could find it here.
Sol-Kadhi/ Kokum Sherbet
Ingredients
- 150 grams Dried Kokum
- 2 glasses Water
- 2-3 nos. Garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 no. Green chilly (slit)
- 3 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
-
1. Soak the dried Kokum in 2 glasses of water for an hour. Strain & discard the pulp.
2. To this, add all the above ingredients & mix well.
3. Serve chilled.
Recipe Notes
Some people like to add coconut to Sol-Kadhi, which renders it a more naturally sweet taste. In that version, you could skip adding sugar to it.
What’s great about this drink?
- Kokum (Garcinia Indica) is known for its various medicinal properties, such as fighting acidity, indigestion, flatulence, constipation & skin problems.
- It makes a healthy & refreshing drink!
Caution – Please do NOT add milk to the Kokum juice to try a variant.
Summer Drink #3 : Lemonade with Sweet Basil/Sabza Seeds
Credit – www.sailusfood.com
Sweet Basil seeds are widely available in India & constitute a part of many health drinks, & even the major Indian-favorite drink, Falooda.
According to nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood, “Sabza seeds are rich in antioxidants, help in controlling diabetes & is also good for your skin. They are hard to chew, so do not take them raw. It’s best to soak them in water before consuming, which makes them more gelatinous. It is recommended to have at least two teaspoons every day to gain health benefits.”
If you don’t find Sabza seeds at stores near you, you can get it by the best brand R.R.Agro here.
I had first come across this recipe on SailusFood & I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the taste! However, I add sugar directly to the drink instead of concocting the sugar syrup in order to make it quick & save myself a bit of time.
Here’s how to make a simple lemonade with a dash of Basil seeds to add some great health benefits.
Sabza/Sweet Basil Seeds Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 Glasses Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Sabza seeds (soaked)
Instructions
-
1. In a vessel, add all the above ingredients & mix well.
2. Serve chilled.
Recipe Notes
If you want to consume this drink immediately, you could add ice cubes too.
What’s great about this drink?
- Basil seeds give away to a high metabolism & thus will help you if you’re on a weight loss regime/diet. So, combined with lemon juice, it makes this drink a perfectly weight loss-friendly drink.
- These seeds are rich in fiber & thus will curb your cravings for junk or unhealthy snacks.
- This drink cools your body like a pro!
- It can relieve constipation & boost your immunity as well.
- Basil seeds are rich in antioxidants & are often useful to maintain a healthy & ageless-looking skin.
So, are you up for a HEALTHY & NATURAL summer this time?
Do try these recipes & let me know how you found them!
Wishing you a NO-MORE-SCORCHING summer! 🙂
Happy to be a part of #FlavoursomeTuesdays. Do join for some yummy food tales.
Hi Ashvini!
I had no idea that buttermilk was cooling. I remember my grandmother pouring buttermilk over her cornbread and eating it with her fingers. She usually did this in the warmer months. I guess she ate it mostly in the summers because it was cooling.
The Lemonade with Sweet Basil/Sabza seeds is something, I may try. Are the Sabza seeds the same as Chia seeds? I ask because the seeds in lemonade photo look similar to chia seeds.
I always like trying new recipes.
Thanks for sharing!
Take care,
Evelyn
Oh yes, Evelyn. Buttermilk is a natural coolant & is thus a widely popular drink across the Indian subcontinent.
To be precise, chia seeds & sabza seeds are different. Chia seeds take a lot of time to get soaked up to be used while sabza seeds swell up within minutes. Basil seeds cannot be used or consumed raw but chia seeds can be. However, both of them are highly nutritious as they’re both rich in fiber & antioxidants. Plus, the basil ones are richer in iron.
Do try these drinks & post a feedback comment soon. ?
Ashvini, you won’t believe it, but initially, I was planning on doing an exact same post on three summer drinks. But, then I narrowed it down to just Sol Kadhi. Guess, great minds think alike! 😛
I especially liked the buttermilk recipe you have shared. Will definitely make it and let you know how I liked it. I am sure it will taste awesome.
I liked your website. So informative and helpful and a complete health guide.
Thank you, once again, for joining our Linky Party!
Oh you’re right, Shilpa, when you said that great minds think alike. 😀
Thanks for appreciating not just my recipe but all of my content as well. I’m indebted!