Spiffy mocktails with turmeric and asafoetida, iced tea brewed with hibiscus and combined with strawberries, saunf (fennel) sherbet, gur (jaggery) sherbet, sherbets from falsa, jamun (black plum), Sohiong berry, buransh (rhododendron), anjeer (fig)... it is raining innovative drinks this summer. The mantra seems to be the more unusual, the merrier. But Rajiv Bansal, founder of Delhi Organic Farmers’ Bazaar, poses a counterview, “Aren’t these usual drinks, which we have just ignored and hence see as unusual? These sherbets used to be a part of our everyday vocabulary. We have forgotten them, but Delhi Organic Farmers’ Bazaar is now reviving them.”
Bansal adds, “We want to re-introduce traditional drinks like thandai, gulkand, jasmine, falsa and imli sherbets. We educate people about benefits of these sherbets on Facebook. We are launching hibiscus, cardamom and kokum sherbet as well. Organic produce for making these drinks is sourced from all over the country.”
And then there are hyper-local sherbets, that most outside a particular State wouldn’t have heard of. Sohiong is a small, jamun-like black berry which grows in Meghalaya’s Khasi hills. This is made into juice that has a sweet-sour taste. It is refreshing, but not widely available. Northeastern festivals or trade fairs are the place to try it.
The Directorate of Horticulture, Department of Agriculture, Government of Meghalaya has its own brand called MEG, under which processed agro products are retailed. This includes sherbets like Sohiong, sohphie, soh brap (passion fruit) and carambola (star fruit). Sohphie is a sour fruit indigenous to the area. It is eaten raw, pickled, and made into a drink. Soh brap makes for an excellent squash.
Rhododendron squash is made from juice of the blood-red flowers. It blooms in spring, and beginning of summer is when it is processed. Since the flower is found in abundance in upper regions of the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh and the Garhwal regions is where one can access this squash. Brahmi, bael and pahari lemon, orange and galgals (big lime) form the base for squashes from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Rosella can also be used for squashes, but it hasn’t been done on a large scale. Neither has thekera from Assam, where it is made into a sweet, slightly-sour drink. Kokum has gained such popularity that it is seen on menus of restaurants. Other popular sherbets include nannari, also known as sarsaparilla root, Kewra, jasmine and sandalwood. Government of India undertaking Tribes India offers mahua-based sherbets. Cashew apples are also being processed; palash flowers make their way into delicious drinks.
Mix it up
Iced tea is another category growing in popularity. Michelle Bauer, founder of the Pune-based Good Juicery, says, “New in our range of juice beverages are our cold brewed iced teas. Made from roughly 50% cold brewed iced tea (brewed overnight from real tea leaves) and 50% fruit juice. We use no added sugar or preservatives. Cold brewing results in a smoother, more delicate flavour while still extracting maximum anti-oxidants.”
In mocktails, there is experimentation unlimited. Delicious drinks are being made by combining sherbets with fresh ingredients. Biswajit Roy, head bartender at KA.01 Rooftop Bar, ibis Bengaluru City Centre, says, “We have a drink called gaadi which uses kokum, lime, orange, green chilli and mint. Another is vandi, is inspired from the presence of fresh coconut water everywhere in summer. We added fresh lime juice, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to it .”
Udit Maheshwari, from The Melting Pot Food Company which runs Café Lota and Monsoon Café at New Delhi’s Aerocity, has further innovations to add. “At Monsoon, there is a drink in which we use litchi juice with fresh turmeric. The lovely yellow blends with the pale colour of litchi to give a greenish drink. We make another with orange and pineapple juice, flavoured with asafoetida. We have introduced is kiwi ka panna, too.”
The yet-to-be-made-popular sherbets include — thekera from Assam, gondhoraj (Bengal), sohphlang, otenga, ... all of this spells only one thing: “good times” for consumers.