Colourful, cool Holi drinks by Sanket Thakur, Food and Beverage Manager at The Resort, Mumbai.
Photograph: Kind courtesy The Resort
Kiwi Thandai
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup pureed kiwi
- 4 cups warm milk
- 6-8 almonds, blanched and chopped
- 2 cloves
- 1 small green elaichi or cardamom
- 2 small pieces stick or dalchini or cinnamon
- ¼ tsp saunth or ginger powder
- Few drops of gulab jal or rosewater
- 1 cup sugar, reduce as per taste
Method
- In a pot, bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat. Keep aside.
- In a mortar, add the almonds and kiwi paste, along with a few tsp of warm milk.
Keep grinding this mixture with the pestle until you get a fine paste.
Using your palm, squeeze the paste and collect the liquid in a bowl.
Repeat this process a few more times, until all that is left behind are fibres and nut meal. Discard this residue.
- In a spice grinder or mixer, grind the cloves, eliachi and cinnamon into a fine powder.
- In a large bowl mix the the water, warm milk and the liquid from the mortar.
- Add the powdered cloves etc and the ginger powder, and give it a good mix.
Add few drops of rose water and sugar. Stir till the sugar dissolves.
- Refrigerate this mixture and serve chilled in tall glasses.
Whiskey-Spiked Thandai
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 45 ml whiskey
- 250 ml warm water
- 30 gm badam or almonds
- 20 gm pistachios
- 2 tsp khus khus or poppy seeds
- 30 gm melon seeds
- 2 tsp gulkand or rose petal jam, easily available in grocery stores or online
- 1 tsp saunf or fennel seeds
- ½ tsp kali mirch or black peppercorns
- 3 to 4 green elaichi or cardamom
- Few strands of kesar or saffron
- 100 gm sugar
- 1 glass chilled milk
- Ice cubes
Method
- In a deep bowl pour in the 250 ml warm water.
Add the almonds and black pepper and let it soak in the water for 2 hours.
Once it is well soaked, skin the almonds and put it in a blender.
Add the black pepper along with the water and blend together.
Add the cardamom and saffron and blend again till it all becomes a fine paste.
Now add into the blender the pistachios, poppy seeds, melon seeds, gulkhand, saunf, sugar and chilled milk.
Blend till you get a smooth consistency.
- Shake well and pour in pretty tall copper glasses. Or attractive high-ball glasses.
Add the whiskey and top it up with ice. Serve chilled.