Hot days and frosty drinks

SUMMER DRINKS

In the summer, nothing is better to beat the heat than a nice, cold drink. One can beat the heat with some cool summer drinks like the good old banta, shikanji, fresh lime water/soda or even coconut water. More options can be made from blended fruits to give a creative twist to the classic lemonade.

Summer sizzle is more bearable with coloured glasses! For those people who don’t have alcoholic drinks, their choices tend revolve around soda, fruti punch, flavoured iced teas.
Banta, fresh lime soda and water are easy to make and light on the tummy as well. These are refreshing summertime drinks that can be served to adults and children alike. Akshita Aggarwal, a dietician says, “These drinks are any day better than the regular carbonated drinks. Carbonated drinks add to one’s weight but drinks like shikanji and banta are healthier options. Jal jeera is also good in summer as it helps clean the stomach while a lemon drink is very helpful in weight loss as well. So, these drinks are tasty as well as beneficial for health.” 

The great thing about these drinks are that they are inexpensive and easy to make; most of what you need to prepare them are items you already have on hand. Other than these common drinks one can combine tangy red tea with slices of lime and add ice. Another great idea is to combine lemon-lime soda with berries.

Cucumbers really are also very cool, especially in lemonades. One can also add a bit of grated fresh ginger to give that extra tang to your drink. Lemonade which has fresh basil or pureed strawberries added to it also has a very refreshing taste.

Citrus drinks are never boring when you mix together juices from a variety of fruits including grapefruits, oranges and pomegranate!