Indian Summers: 10 Desi Drinks To Quench Your Thirst & Feel Energised

Summer’s here and everyone is excited to sit back, relax, and sip a cool, refreshing drink. It’s no secret that summer brings along a lot of heat and harsh weather. With temperatures reaching 40-degrees Celsius, perspiration is common, even more than in winters, 

A common occurrence during the harsh summer is dehydration. As our body perspires to cool down its temperature, it uses the water we consume a lot faster. This creates an imbalance and leads to dehydration. 

10 Warning Signs Of Dehydration

1. Dry mouth or increased thirst
2. Muscle cramps, typically in the legs
3. Fatigue, weakness or feeling tired all the time
4. Headaches and unusual migraines
5. Dizziness or fainting spells
6. Decreased urination or dark coloured urine
7. Dry skin and chapped lips
8. Bad breath due to low production of saliva
9. Loss of appetite
10. Low blood pressure or increased heart rate

Did You Know?

Staying adequately hydrated aids digestion, supports weight loss, improves skin health, and even reduces the risk of kidney stones.

10 Indian-Style Summer Drinks Using Kitchen Ingredients

1. Nimbu Pani (Shikanji)

Nimbu pani is an absolute favourite among Indians. Also known as Shikanji,  this is a great choice of summer drink. Lemons stimulate salivation and quench thirst. It’s energising, refreshing and a must-try summer cooler.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of cold water
• 1 big lemon
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• Pudina (mint) for garnish

How To Make It:

1. Take two glasses of cold water in a bowl and squeeze the juice of one big lemon.
2. Add kala namak (black salt), sugar and jeera (cumin) powder and mix until the sugar dissolves. You can use powdered sugar as it mixes faster.
3. Pour into glasses, add ice cubes and serve with a garnish of pudina (mint).

2. Chaas (Buttermilk)

Widely known as chaas in India, this dahi-based drink has been a part of our culture since ancient times. It is called Ghol in Bengal, Majjige in Karnataka, Moru in Tamil Nadu and is famous as buttermilk around the world. No South Indian meal is complete without a tall glass of buttermilk and Gujaratis can’t live without masala chaas. Drinking a glass of buttermilk replenishes lost nutrients, reduces prickly heat and helps strengthen the immune system.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dahi (curd/yoghurt)
• 2 glasses of cold water
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
• Dhaniya (coriander) for garnish
• 1 teaspoon chilli-ginger paste (for masala chaas)

How To Make It:

1. In a bowl, combine fresh dahi (yoghurt), jeera (cumin) powder and kala namak (black salt).
2. Add cold water and whisk it. You can use a blender or simply use a wire whisk.
3. Pour it into glasses, add ice cubes if needed and garnish with dhaniya (coriander).
4. You can add chilli-ginger paste with chat masala to make masala chaas.

3. Jal Jeera

Nothing can beat the sweet yet tangy taste of refreshing jal jeera. Cumin (jeera), when combined with water, is a great way to regulate body heat. It reduces acidity and bloating along with being helpful to maintain the normal functionality of the immune system. Being anti-congestive, it aids the respiratory system.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of cold water
• ½ cup of chopped pudina (mint)
• ½ cup of dhaniya (coriander)
• 2 tablespoons imli (tamarind) paste
• 1 tablespoon toasted jeera (cumin)
• A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango) powder
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons boondi (fried chickpea flour balls) for garnish

How To Make It:

1. In a bowl, put chopped pudina, coriander (dhaniya) with tamarind (imli) paste, toasted jeera (cumin), ginger, hing (asafoetida), kala namak (black salt), sugar, amchur (dry mango) powder, fennel seeds (saunf) and lemon juice.
2. Add cold water and blend until everything is mixed well.
3. Strain the mixture and pour the jal jeera in glasses.
4. You can serve it with a lemon wedge or add boondi (fried chickpea flour balls) on top to give it a twist.

4. Aam Panna

Aam Panna or Aam Jhora is perfect for summer due to its heat-resistant properties. Made from raw mangoes, this tasty beverage is potent when it comes to fighting Indian summer heat. It prevents dehydration and diarrhoea along with boosting energy levels. Other than hydrating the body, using mango for skin also helps in exfoliating and hydrating skin which is critical especially in summers.

Ingredients:

• 2 raw mangoes
• 2 glasses of water
• Jaggery or sugar (2:1 ratio to the mango pulp)
• 1 teaspoon dalchini (cinnamon) powder
• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Kala namak (black salt) as required

How To Make It:

1. Wash and place raw mangoes (kachcha aam) in a pressure cooker or a pot with water. Let it cook for 12-14 minutes.
2. Strain this and collect the liquid in a bowl.
3. Let the mangoes cool down, then peel and scrape the pulp. Make sure there are no chunks or lumps.
4. Take double the amount of jaggery or sugar to the mango pulp. Add dalchini (cinnamon) powder, jeera (cumin) powder, kala namak (black salt) and black pepper powder and mix well with the jaggery.
5. Combine the jaggery mixture, mango pulp and the drained liquid well. Your delicious aam panna is ready!

5. Sattu Drink

A popular summer choice from Bihar, this drink has gained considerable popularity. It acts as a coolant, flushes out toxins and increases energy levels. Drinking chilled sattu drinks keeps blood sugar levels in control. Sattu means roasted black chickpea flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of cold water
• 2 tablespoons sattu (roasted black chickpea flour)
• 2-3 tablespoons jaggery or sugar
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• Lemon juice (optional)

How To Make It:

1. Take cold water in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of sattu flour for each glass.
2. Add sugar or jaggery and combine till the sugar dissolves.
3. Add a pinch of kala namak (black salt). For some added tang, you can use lemon juice as well.
4. Stir once before serving.

6. Ganne Ka Juice

Visits to our nani ka ghar are incomplete without the sound of bells from a sugarcane juice seller. Packed with a high concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese, sugarcane juice acts as a perfect drink to replenish lost electrolytes and water. It builds up plasma and body fluids and helps fight dryness and fatigue.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugarcane (cubed)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup of water
• Salt as required

How To Make It:

1. Peel off the hard outer layer of sugarcane, cut into small cubes and put it in a mixer with some ginger.
2. Add water and blend. Then strain it to collect the liquid.
3. Repeat this until all the juice is extracted.
4. Add a splash of lemon juice and salt. Serve it immediately and dive into nostalgia!

7. Pudina Sharbat

Here’s a drink that beats the done and dusted Mojitos. Pudina sharbat is a great choice for summers. It has anti-inflammatory properties, making it the perfect ingredient for fighting summer acne and pimples. It helps fight sluggishness and headaches caused by the heat.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of cold water
• 1 cup pudina (mint)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• Salt as required

How To Make It:

1. In a blender, add pudina (mint), sugar, black pepper powder, kala namak (black salt), jeera (cumin) powder, salt, lemon juice and cold water.
2. Blend well to make it smooth.
3. You can strain it if you don’t enjoy a pulpy texture.
4. Serve chilled with ice cubes and enjoy!

8. Lassi

Lassi is a drink you can’t say no to. It helps cool the body temperature during hot summer days and reduces prickly heat. Along with that, it aids digestion and improves metabolism. There are a few types of lassi like the traditional sweet lassi, fruit lassi and rose lassi.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of dahi (curd/yoghurt)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon dalchini (cinnamon) powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped tulsi leaves (holy basil)

How To Make It:

1. Whisk dahi (yoghurt) with a wire whisk until it is smooth and creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar and dalchini (cinnamon) powder.
3. Then add some chopped tulsi (holy basil) leaves and mix well.
4. You can add the pulp of fruits like mango, strawberries and even kesar-elaichi (cardamom) to customise it!

9. Kokum Sharbat

This delicious beverage originated in Goa and the coastal parts of Maharashtra. Kokum (garcinia indica) aids digestion, reduces body heat and refreshes you. It is full of antioxidants and has antifungal properties. It quenches the intense summer thirst with ease.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of kokum
• 2 cups of water (for syrup)
• 2 glasses of water (for sharbat)
• 1 teaspoon dalchini (cinnamon) powder
• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder

How To Make It:

1. Rinse dry kokum and soak in water for 3-4 hours.
2. Blend only the kokum while preserving the water. Use the water to blend it well.
3. Boil sugar in the water to form a syrup, Let this cool down.
4. Add dalchini (cinnamon) powder and jeera  (cumin) powder.
5. Mix everything together with cold water and store in the fridge.

10. Imli Ka Amlana

A delicious, thirst-quenching drink from Rajasthan, this one stands out the most. Imli (tamarind) is effective in healing heatstroke and sunstroke. It effectively cools the body and is great for strengthening immunity.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of imli (tamarind)
• 4 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Kala namak (black salt) as required
• 1 teaspoon elaichi (cardamom) powder
• Pudina (mint) for garnish

How To Make It:

1. Soak imli in hot water for 30 minutes and then grind to a fine paste.
2. Strain this mixture and add water.
3. Then add some black pepper powder, powdered sugar, kala namak (black salt) and elaichi (cardamom) powder.
4. Mix well and serve chilled with chopped pudina (mint).

These Indian summer coolers beat the heat with ease. These recipes are perfect for the summer when all our body craves is some flavourful hydration. So try these traditional beverages to quench your thirst and say goodbye to sugary aerated drinks! You can also try these lockdown special recipes along with the summer beverages