Summer Coolers

It’s only the beginning of March but with the soaring
temperatures, it already feels like May. Time to keep yourself hydrated with some light, fresh coolers, sorbets and frozen delights. Bring on the ice!

Watermelon Cooler

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon, cut in small pieces
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp ginger juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp black salt
• Pinch of black pepper powder

Method
In a blender place watermelon, lemon juice, ginger juice, sugar, pepper and salt together and blend until smooth.  Add ice and blend it again until the ice is crushed.
Pore the drink in a glass filling the glass up to ¾ and add ginger ale. Serve immediately.

Tulsi Lemonade

Ingredients

• ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of fresh tulsi/basil leaves
• Stevia to taste

Method
Place tulsi in the bottom of a pitcher and muddle it by slightly by crushing the leaves.
Combine lemon juice and water and pour over tulsi leaves. Add stevia to taste.
Chill, and serve over ice.

Spicy Papaya Sunrise Cooler

Ingredients

• ¾ cup diced papaya
• 1 cup diced watermelon
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ red chillies, sliced and deseeded to reduce heat
• Ice
• Slice of lime

Method
Puree papaya, watermelon, lime juice, and ¼ deseeded red chillies in a blender until smooth.Strain and chill. Serve over ice and garnish with a slice each of lime.

Cucumber-Honeydew Cooler

Ingredients

• ¼ cucumber
• (peeled and cut
• into 1-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup diced
•  honeydew melon
• Ice
• Cucumber peel

Method

Puree cucumber and honey dew melon in a blender until smooth. Strain and chill.
Pour into a shaker and shake with ice.
Strain into a glass and garnish with cucumber peel.

Black Angoor Sharbet

Ingredients

• 4 cups black grape juice
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp carom seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tsp black salt
• 1 cup tamarind pulp
• Crushed ice

Method

Roast cumin, carom and fennel seeds in a pan at medium heat. When done, grind with black salt to make a fine powder. Pour black grape juice into a jug and add the ground spices and tamarind pulp.
Mix well.Add crushed ice and mix well. Garnish with mint leaves and serve over ice.

Sweet Lime & Cucumber Juice

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized cucumbers
• 3 sweet limes
• 10-15 mint leaves
• ½ tsp black salt
• 4 tsp honey
• 1 cup crushed ice cubes
• 5 mint leaves
• 1 cup ice cube

Method
Peel cucumber and sweet lime into small pieces. Grind with crushed ice and mint leaves. Strain the mixture to get juice. Now add honey, black salt and mix well.
Take a glass, add ice cubes and pour juice and garnish with mint leaves and cucumber slice. Serve chill.