As the days grow longer and the temperatures grow warmer, there’s really no better way to celebrate summer than by spending time outside and concocting some truly delicious drinks. From Aam Panna to Jeera Lassi there is a number of drinks that you can sip. Today in this article we have listed some of the easy summer drinks which you can enjoy.

Here are some amazing summer drinks which you can sip on!

Shikanji

Nimbu Pani or Shikanji is the Indian variant of lemonade or limeade made with fresh lemon juice, water, sugar, salt, and optionally a few ground spices or you can simply mix the delicious shikanji masala powder in water or soda and just enjoy!

Recipe of Shikanji

Ingredients:

• Lemons: Make sure the lemons are at room temperature, so you get the maximum juice out of them.
• Sugar: Traditionally white sugar is used. But you can use maple sugar, coconut sugar, etc.
• Water: Use the chilled water to make shikanji.
• Ginger: It helps in digestion and adds a nice flavor.
• Black salt (Kala namak): It adds a nice zing and taste to the drink. There is no substitute for this ingredient. If you don’t have it then skip it.
• Roasted cumin powder: here’s how to make it at home – Dry roast the cumin seeds on medium-low heat with stirring constantly until aromatic and dark in color. Once cools down grind into a powder using a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle if making a small quantity). You can keep this in the air-tight container for up to 2-3 months.

Steps:

1) Peel the ginger and grate it using a fine grater or zester. Squeeze it to get the juice. Discard the shredded part or use it in any other recipe that calls for ginger paste.

2) Squeeze the fresh lemon juice in a bowl.

3) Add sugar.

4) add ginger juice.

5) Add black salt.

6) Add roasted cumin powder.

7) Add regular salt.

8) Add chilled water and stir, stir, stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour shikanji into the serving glass (add ice cubes if needed) and serve.

Lassi

Every Punjabi food is incomplete without Lassi. Lassi is churned out of yogurt or dahi, it is said to be quite beneficial for our digestive system. It is light on the stomach and contains lactobacilli, healthy bacteria that lubricate the intestines and aid in smooth digestion. Lassi is a healthy and natural remedy for stomach bloating.

Recipe of Lassi 

Ingredients:

Yogurt: lassi is made with yogurt so you need plain yogurt to make it. In India, we made lassi with homemade yogurt which was made with whole milk. You can definitely use low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt too. But lassi is supposed to be thick and creamy so whole milk yogurt is preferred.

Water: you need a liquid to thin out the yogurt a little and I like using water for that. You can also use milk but personally, I prefer water for a lighter lassi.

The rest of the ingredients would depend on the type of lassi you are making.

Steps:

1- To a large bowl add plain yogurt (make sure it isn’t sour), Then mix it well using a wire whisk until smooth.

2- Add in the sugar, you can adjust the amount of sugar to taste. It will also depend on how sour the yogurt is.

3- Again using a wire whisk, mix it well until the sugar is mixed well with the yogurt.

4- Now add water to thin out the lassi a bit. You can adjust the amount of water depending on the consistency of lassi you prefer. For thicker lassi, add 1/2 cup water, for thinner lassi, you can add 1 cup water or even more.

5- Now using an immersion blender (or regular blender or the traditional mathani) blend everything together.

6- Then add cardamom powder, rose water, and a few saffron strands. If you don’t have saffron or rose water, feel free to skip. I will recommend keeping the cardamom for sure.

7- Again, using your immersion blender, mix it all together until the lassi is all frothy on top.

8- Pour into serving glass, top with saffron strands, crushed pistachios, and serve!

Sattu drink

Sattu is rich in calcium and many other minerals and vitamins like iron, which help in blood circulation and can reduce inflammation. It also strengthens hair and improves skin quality as well. Sattu is a drink with a low-glycemic index and is considered beneficial for diabetes patients.

Recipe of Sattu drink

Ingredients:

• Sattu flour  
• Water
• Lemon 1
• Mint leaves  
• Black salt  
• Roasted cumin powder  
• Black pepper powder
• Salt  

Steps:

1. Prepare sattu flour by grinding 1/3 cup of a roasted gram to a fine powder. You can sieve it or use as it is.
2. Take a vessel, add sattu flour and water and mix well. Add juice of lemon, crushed mint leaves, black salt, roasted cumin powder, black pepper powder and salt and mix well.
3. Pour into glasses, add ice cubes and serve.