Stepping out in summer is always a sweat-work! Especially when you are in a humid place, you will feel extra fatigue and thirst. These times the juice shops in Kerala would be crowded for the sarbats and juices. I am sure that you might have heard about the famous ‘Kulukki sarbath’ too :P.

Here I am listing a few Summer drinks which is free of aerated sodas, artificial chemicals like colors, flavors and preservatives. Also can be made at home with very few easily available ingredients. If possible, limit sugar intake in any form if you are diabetic or prone to it. Also most of these drinks doesn’t need a mixer/juicer to make as I don’t prefer having juices when we have nice teeth to chew :P.

This list is not restricted to Kerala, I have included traditional natural drinks of many places.

1. Naranga Vellam(Lemon juice/lemonade) & other variants(Cucumber-mint-lemon, lemon-mint etc.) – I don’t think you require a recipe for this.
   P.S- It reminds me the movie dialogue ‘Namuk oro naranga vellam angu kachiyalo’ (Strictly for Malayalees ;) )

2. Pottu Vellari shake –
Made from the fruit snap melon which I have written in a detailed post here

3. Panakam –
A jaggery based drink which is usually made as an offering to Lord Rama on Ram Navami (a festival to celebrate Lord Rama’s birthday and also indicates the beginning of Summer – see the connection). It’s a perfect drink which will helps you from dehydration. While there are many recipes for making panakam, as the ingredients added varies in different parts of India.
Recipe to make one cup –
Powdered Jaggery -1/4 cup
Water – 1 1/4 cup
Juice of a halved lemon
Dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
Cardamon powder – a  pinch
Tulsi leaves – 2 or 3 – crushed
Method – Soak the jaggery in 1/4 cup of water for couple of minutes and sieve it for removing any impurities in jaggery. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well and serve.

4. Spiced Sambhaaram(Masala Chaas/Buttermilk) –
One more drink which has multiple flavors across the parts of India or even in Kerala. Sambhaaram or Morum Vellam is a must drink at the end of the Kerala sadhya(feast). It aids the digestion after a nice meal as well as quenches the thirst during hot days! Whenever I complain about stomach pains or stomach upsets, my father -in-law is used to making this spicy buttermilk which will ease my problems in a couple of hours. Sambharam is usually made with curd(yogurt) adding more water to dilute it, chopped fresh ginger pieces, green chillies, crushed curry leaves and salt. Some people add onions and garlic too. Plus have seen few recipe sites which uses Banana stem(vazhathand), mint sambharam also. There is another version(not made in Kerala) in which chat masala is also added. Please read one of my previous post on Buttermilk here
In few traditional homes in Kerala, Morum Vellam used to be the welcome drink for the guests to visits their homes. I could recollect reading/hearing from some one/some where(not able to recollect the source) that Morum vellam has to be made from the leftover water from which the butter is extracted from the curd.

5. Tender coconut water –
I don’t think you need more details on this ;) Just one request, while drinking tender coconut juice, please avoid the single use plastic straw. Alternatives mentioned here

6. Nannari/Naruneendi sarbath –
Nannari/Sarsaparilla juice is made from the dried roots of Sarsaparilla. Please read my post here for the detailed benefits and method. Make sure you prepare it with real nannari as that one has the most medicinal and healing properties than the one we can most common in stores, Bombay Nannari.

7. Kokum juice –
Even though kokum(Garcinia indica, twin sister of Garcinia cambogia) is used for culinary purposes, the drink is not so popular in Kerala. Kokum/Malabar tamarind is used in Maharashtra, Gujarat, parts of Kerala and Karnataka. It is a native of the Western Ghats, hence it is known as Malabar tamarind. This type of tamarind has many therapeutic values and is used for weight loss and acts as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacteria and anti-carcinogenic agent. Read more about this on The Hindu article here.
You can make the juice either with fresh kokum fruits or with dried ones. Check out the recipe here

8. Bel sharbat –
During the visit to last time’s OFYT (Oota from your Thota) event, one of the stall was selling Bel juice stored in a big mud pot. Out of curiosity, I also bought a glass to experience the taste. I was expecting it to be sweet one, but it was slight sweetish sour. Bel is the fruit of Wood/ Stone/Elephant apple(Vilvam), of which the leaves are considered as sacred and are used for worshiping Lord Shiva. The consumption of the fruit aids relief from indigestion, constipation, ulcers, piles and diarrhea. Also helps to remove the impurities in blood.
Recipe for 1 cup –
1 medium ripe bel fruit
1 cup of water
2-3 tbsps of jaggery(Adjust according to your taste buds)
A small pinch of salt(black salt preferred).
A pinch of cardamom powder
Method – Break the fruit with a sharp object/with a rolling pin to remove the hard shell. Scoop out the brown colored soft pulp to a bowl and add water. After soaking for 10 mins, mash the pulp well and strain it(use a wide hole strainer) for getting a smooth mixture. Add the remaining ingredients to the strained juice, stir well and its ready to consume. You can also add a pinch of roasted & powdered cumin/jeera powder.

9. Nongu juice
Nongu/Ice Apple is the fruit of Toddy palm from which the Toddy is made from. When you travel to Kerala/Tamilnadu during Summer, you can see people selling this fruit in road-sides, push-carts, etc. Some might be selling the juice(padhaneer/palm nectar) in the palm leaves folded like a bowl. The juice which comes out while cutting the fruit is collected and served along with the chopped pieces of nongu in the palm leaf bowls. There are many ways to prepare this at home. Always use the softer ones to prepare these.
Recipe 1 – If you have got the fruits with the outer thick skin, remove it. And slowly remove soft yellowish skin to get the fleshy white fruit. Inside you will get the water/juice similar to tender coconut juice. Collect this juice from many fruits, and chop the fruit to smaller pieces. Add few tbsps of Nannari syrup, add water if required, squeeze a lemon and serve it.
Recipe 2 – Use the same process above replacing Nannari syrup with milk. Avoid lemon juice. When you use a softer fruit, you can smash it with hands/spoon.

10. Vazhathandu juice –
In Malayalam, banana tree/plantain is known as Vazha and stem is Thandu. Banana is one tree that is edible right from the stem to the flower. The Vazhathandu is rich in fibre, helps in digestion, weight loss, manages cholesterol and blood pressure. You can prepare the juice in many ways.
Recipe 1 – Cut the inner part of stem into circles and put it in buttermilk(diluted curd) till you prepare this. Take it out and put in a mixer and blend it well. Strain/skip straining add jaggery and serve it. Meanwhile you can also crush the chopped pieces in mortar and pestle and squeeze the juice/ add it as it is.
Recipe 2 – Add buttermilk & ginger instead of water in the above process and add salt, coriander leaves while drinking. This is another version of spiced buttermilk too.

11. Flavored/infused/Detox water –
My mother attended a workshop in naturopathy(heal with nature) in which the master suggested to avoid drinking plain water even if it is boiled. Some seeds/roots/leaves must be always used while boiling and also should not use same ingredient continuously for multiple days. Before she went for this session itself, we were following this at my home, but never know that we should not use same ingredient for a longer while.

Ingredients which can be used are –
Seeds – Jeera(Cumin), Methi(Fenugreek), Dhania(Coriander), Triphala(in powder form)

Roots – Chukku(Dry ginger), Vettiver(Khus),
Heartwood/Tree Bark – Karingali(Cutch Tree,Black catechu), Pathimukham(Caesalpenia Sappan), Venga(Indian Kino tree), Cinnamon, Dandelion, Licorice, Turmeric

Leaves – Holy basil(Tulsi), Pudhina(Mint leaves)
Flowers/Petals -Rose, Lotus, Aavarampoo, Hibiscus, Butterfly pea(Shankupushpam)

Fruits – Gooseberry(Amla)

Spices – Cardamom(Ilaichi)

Note:-
The leaves and roots must be cleaned well before adding.
Dry roasting the seeds(slightly) is preferred.
Add the ingredient once the water is in rolling-boil stage.
Add the ingredient(one item per day) and switch off.
Do not store it beyond a day. So prepare this in the morning, and consume it before the night.

Read more options & benefits about the detox water here

12. Ramacham/Vettiver & Sandalwood –
These are generally used for purifying/cleansing the water. It can be used for drinking & also for bathing as it cools down the body and calms the mind due to it’s aroma. You need to add the roots in the mud pot overnight and next day morning it’s ready to consume. Before the RO/UV filters came into existence, Vettiver was widely used for purification. Vettiver roots are the best bought from here

13. Ragi Koozh or Ragi Ambli
One of the traditional recipes from South India. Follow the recipe here

14. Ragi Juice or Nanchanya Udhak
Another simple recipe with finger millet, jaggery and cardamom powder

15. Green Gram juice or Mugga Udhak
Similar to the above recipe

16. Khus Khusa Udhak or Poppy Seeds Juice
Poppy seeds are believed to have cooling effects on your body. Recipe here

17. Thandai
Made with many ingredients like dry nuts and spices, refer the recipe here. This drink isn’t that famous in South India.

18. Jaljeera
Another lemonade kind made with Cumin, coriander, lemon juice etc. This also is not so famous in South India. Recipe can be checked out here

19. Buransh drink
Burans or Buransh drink is made from the flowers of Tree Rhododendron. Read the details here. The recipe can found here

20. Raw Mango juice or Aam ka panna
A drink made with raw mango, mint and roasted cumin seeds etc. Recipe is here

21. Sattu drink
Roasted chickpea powder along with some other ingredients is made into a sweet drink. The recipe can be found here

22. Paan-gulkand
Paan is betel leaves and Gulkand is the traditional rose petal jam made without heating any of the ingredients(its cooked under sun ;) ). Gulkand acts as an coolant. Recipe here. An amazing gulkand made with rose petals and honey can be bought from here

23. Gond Katira sharbat
Gond Katira/Badam pisin is an edible gum which helps you to cool down our body. There are many different ways to make the drink. One is over here and another I could find here

24. Phalse ka sharbat
Phalsa/Grewia Asiatica is kind of a berry from which the drink is made. Get the recipe from here

25. Palash sharbat
While Buransh is up there in Himalayas, we have Palash/The flame of forest in this part of India ;). The process of making the sharbat is explained in my previous post here.

26. Tikhur or Palor Sharbat
Tikhur Sherbat is made from dried Palor or Tikhur globules or our humble arrowroot. The recipe can be found here

27. Malta
Malta oranges are from Himalayan region, primarily sourced from Uttarakhand which are used to make fresh juices.Known for its sweet-tangy flavour and high Vitamin C content, it is often sold as a natural, preservative-free squash or syrup (concentrate), commonly sweetened with organic sugar (Khand) or honey.

28. Varyali Sharbat or Saunf Sharbat
A traditional, highly refreshing, and medicinal Indian drink is particularly popular in summers to alleviate body heat, aid digestion, and provide instant energy.
Recipe –
Soak 2 tbsp fennel seeds and 1 tbsp basil seeds separately in water for at least 4–5 hours or overnight.
Next day, blend the soaked fennel seeds with the same water to create a fine paste, then strain it.
Add shakkar (raw sugar), a pinch of black salt, and lemon juice to the strained liquid.
Combine with soaked basil seeds, chilled water, and ice cubes.

Variations:
Jaggery-Saunf Cooler: Use grated jaggery (gud), fennel seeds, mint leaves, roasted cumin powder, and soaked sabja seeds for a more earthy, iron-rich drink.
Premix: Roast saunf, cardamom, and black pepper, grind with sugar to create a powder, and store for an instant drink option. More recipes here

29. Jamun
Add jamun, sugar and lemon juice with required water and a pinch of salt to make yummy juice.

30. Babri Tresh or Babribyol Tresh
A traditional, refreshing Kashmiri sweet basil seed drink, commonly consumed during Ramadan to break the fast, known for its cooling properties. It is typically made by soaking sweet basil seeds (babribyol) and mixing them with milk, sugar, rose water (or Rooh Afza), and sometimes nuts. You can find the directions here

31. Piyush
A rich, creamy, and sweet Maharashtrian/Gujarati beverage, perfect for summer usually made by blending Shrikand, buttermilk, milk, and sugar, seasoned with cardamom, nutmeg, and saffron. Find the recipe here

32. Mango Mastani
While it is not a traditional drink, this street food is very famous in Pune and you can find many variations of it in the city. Recipe

33. Gondhoraj Ghol 
A refreshing Bengali-style sweetened buttermilk cooler, characterized by the intense, aromatic aroma of the Gondhoraj lemon. Recipe can be found here

Please let me know your suggestions/feedback in comments. Stay happy & healthy.

A.