Orangy Float

Good things comes to those who are impatient.sounds familiar?No!You will be!Once you try this quick fix mocktail.Two minutes,three ingredients and an impatient you-that's all you need to make this drink.

Ingredients (makes two tall glasses)

• 250 ml of  fanta or any orange fizzy drink
• 4 scoops of vanilla icecream
• handful of icecubes/crushed ice

Method
1.Take a glass and fill 1/4th of the glass with Fanta/orange fizzy drink.

2.Add ice cubes/crushed ice and 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3.Fill the rest of the glass with Fanta.As you pour your carbonated orange drink on top of vanilla ice cream you shall witness the ice cream elevating to the top and forming a fizzy foamy mass.Top it up with another scoop of vanilla.Your easy Orangy Float is ready.Granish it with an orange wedge or a mint sprig and Drink it up! :)

Tip-there might be some of you who do not like the taste of fanta much.Don't worry i have got you covered up.Make a glass of orange drink out of a sachet of Rasna or Tang as per the instructions.Now take another glass add half of it with soda water(sparkling water) and half with the orange drink that you made.Tadaa!your fizzy orange drink is ready.So instead of Fanta use this drink and follow the rest of the method to make your very own Orangy Float.

The pink mist

Summer Cooler-4
The best thing about summer are the plethora of fruits that are you get in the markets.And i happen to love most of them.I am really biased when it comes to choosing my favorite fruit.Considering the summer theme i chose litchee or lychee to make this pretty drink.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 1 cup fresh litchi/lychee juice
• 1 cup fresh tender coconut water
• 2-4 tsp of cherry syrup or as required

Method

1.Take a chilled glass and pour half part of the glass with litchi juice and fill the rest with coconut water.
2.Add cherry syrup on top and stir.Add cherry syrup according to the sweetness of both the litchi juice and the coconut water.Add few ice cubes or frozen cherries and Drink it up! :)

grin emoticon

Note:-to make delicious cherry syrup at home take 1/2 cup of pitted chopped cherries,1/2 cup of icing sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan.Stir and smash the cherries with the back of the wooden spoon.Once the liquid attains a syrupy consistency switch off the flame and let it cool.Once cooled strain it.Your cherry syrup is ready grin emoticon (don't make it too thick as once the syrup cools down it usually thickens further more)

Sunset by the beach

Summer Cooler 3-
As fancy as the name of this drink sounds to your surprise this drink is very easy to make.The key ingredient of this summer cooler is ripe papaya.Something that i am not very fond of.But trust me while experimenting with it i was very skeptical until i tasted the final product.It was actually very different and i loved it.it's said food(or drink) needs to be first appealing and then appetizing.This summer cooler is a perfect example.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 4-5 tsp of Grenadine syrup
• 1 cup of papaya and mango puree (blend papaya and mango chopped into pieces with some water and make it into a thick puree.strain the puree to remove any chunks.the ration of papaya to mango should be 2:1)
• 1 cup of fresh tender coconut water

Method

1.Fill a glass halfway with papaya and mango puree
2.Add in the grenadine syrup and stir

3.Fill the rest of the glass with coconut water.Add few ice cubes and serve immediately.Now all you got to do it Drink it up! :)

As this drink consists fresh coconut water it is suggested to be consumed instantly once its prepared.
kiki emoticon

Tip:-grenadine syrup can be made at home,too smile emoticon take a large pomegranate.Take out all the seeds (around 1 cup).add it in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water.put it on simmer till it releases all its juices and the seeds become pale.if needed you can even use a masher to releases all the juices.once done switch off the flame.once cooled strain the liquid.Reheat the liquid(which would be around 1/2 cup) with 4 tsp of powdered sugar.Once it attains a syrupy consistency switch off the flame.Your homemade grenadine syrup is ready smile emoticon

Crimson Haze

Summer Cooler 2-
For my next summer cooler i have chosen black plum or 'kala jamun' as we usually call it.This drink is inspired by the famous kala khatta gola. Apart from the tangy taste i love the beautiful color gradation that takes place in the glass.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 1 cup of pitted black plum/jamun
• 1 tbsp of water
• 3 tsp of sugar or as required (don't add too much)
• 1 cup of chilled 7up 
• 1 cup of chilled sparkling water 
• black salt as per taste

Method
1.In a saucepan add in the jamun,water and sugar.On a low flame stir the mixture till it releases all it's juices and becomes mushy.
2.Once cooled add it in a blender and blend it into a smooth semi thick liquid consistency.
3.strain the liquid with the help of a strainer.
4.Heat up the liquid again till it reduces in half and becomes a thick concentrate.Cool it down.
5.In a glass add in a tsp of the jamun/black plum concentrate and with the help of the back of the spoon slowly add in the 7up followed by sparkling water.(fill half of the glass with 7up and rest with sparkling water)
6.sprinkle a tiny pinch of black salt on top.Your crimson haze is ready to be served. Garnish it as you prefer and don't forget to stir before you Drink it up! :)

kiki emoticon garnish it as you prefer.Don't forget to stir before sipping 

Smoked chaas

Making chaas today was not on my list.Actually i didn't even think of making anything.But then i had promised a friend (rajeev) that i would be making chaas today after i saw his version of it.I had some coal with me.And suddenly like a lightening bolt it stuck me that i could make a smoked chaas.Hence went into the kitchen and made some delicious and simple chaas.The smoke of the coal gives this chaas a bit of depth and a beautiful flavor.Loved it!

Ingredients Serves-1 glass

• 1 cup of yogurt
• 1 1/4th cup of water
• 1/2 tsp of roasted cumin powder
• 1-2 green chilly finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp of black salt
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp of roasted cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp of carom seeds
• 1/2 inch of ginger finely chopped
• handful or coriander finely chopped
• salt to taste
• pinch of asafoetida 
• 1 piece of coal
• 1-2 tsp of ghee

Method

1. Add the yogurt,water,cumin powder,sugar,black salt,green chilies,chopped coriander and salt in a bowl and mix everything thoroughly.(If you don't like the sudden heat of the chopped green chilies while sipping your chaas you can very well strain it,too)
   
2. Take a piece of coal and heat in on stove top.Once hot add it in a small bowl.Quickly add in the carom seeds,cumin seeds,asafoetida and ginger.Pour clarified butter/ghee on the hot coal.Once the smoke comes out invert the container in which you are going to pour your chaas on top of it.It should be kept such that the smoke of the coal does not find any opening to escape.
   
3. Keep it inverted till the smoke fills the glass.The other way of smoking is place the small bowl filled with the hot coal,carrom seeds,cumin seeds and ginger in the chass making sure that it floats on top and does not drown into it.Then cover the chaas with foil or a plate that ensures that the smoke remains inside.
   
4. Serve the chaas into the glass.You can garnish it with some chopped coriander.Refrigerate it for a while or add ice cubes to it.Your chilled smoked chass is ready.So Sip it up! :)
   
   

Virgin Mojito

Summers are perfect to try out all kinds of mocktails and quench you thirst.But at times those adding,mixing and dissolving can be a bit tedious.This Mojito recipe is not only simple but it's also quick and needs only handful of ingredients.Mojito which is pronounced as "mohito" is basically a cocktail which is made with soda and rum.But in case of a Virgin Mojito as the name suggests the alcohol is forbidden. I have used 7up here.But you can any-day substitute it with club soda,sprite,limca or any fizzy drink (though i didn't like the after taste of sprite).Even half of club soda and half of any fizzy drink works beautifully. If you use only club soda then remember to adjust the sugar quantity likewise.

Ingredients serves-1 glass

• 200 ml of 7up
• 1 tbsp of icing/powdered sugar
• few mint leaves
• 4 small pieces of lime or as required
• Crushed ice
• muddler
• 1 tall glass

Method

1. Take a tall glass (mojito is traditionally meant to be sipped from a tall glass) add in the lemon wedges,sugar,mint leaves.Take a muddler and muddle the lemon and mint with the sugar to release it's essential oils.Don't start pounding it.You just have to muddle it softly few times.Over muddling may result the lime to turn bitter.
   
2. Add in the crushed ice.I added half the amount of the glass.If you want you can fill the glass entirely with it.
   
3. Add in the 7up and just blend everything together gently.
   
4. Your simple and easy Virgin Mojito is ready to Slurp it up! :)