Just chill

Beat the heat with these refreshing mocktails served at Mumbai’s eateries, which you can make at home

Pineapple ginger agua fresca
Agua fresca is a popular drink from Mexico and it is a delicious way to cool down. We have given it our own twist by adding a zing of ginger to it,” says Russell Dias, head of operations at Jamjar Diner.

Ingredients
>> 150 gm cubed fresh pineapple
>> 500 ml cold water
>> 30 grams sugar
>> 15 ml lime juice
>> Half inch fresh ginger (chopped)
>> Few sprigs of fresh mint (chopped)
>> Ice cubes
>> Fresh pineapple wedges (optional)

Method
Combine cubed fresh pineapple, cold water, sugar, lime juice and ginger in a blender and process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a pitcher. Discard the solids. Add the chopped mint and stir. Cover and chill. Serve over ice and garnish with pineapple wedges.

Dulce y sal
Vaibhav Salvi, assistant bar manager at Poco Loco Tapas and Bar, tells us that this drink is inspired by how Indians love things that are “khatta meetha”. “Thus, dulce [sweet] y [and] sal [salty]. It’s a refreshing mocktail that is atypical of most cocktails and is not too sweet. In fact, it’s well-balanced — khatta-meetha,” he explains.

Ingredients  
>> 20 ml lime juice 
>> 30 ml monin blueberry puree or homemade blueberry crush
>> 2 pinches rock salt 
>> 240 ml orange juice 
>> 20 gm peanut butter

Method
Shake all ingredients in a mixing can. To serve, use a hurricane glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Bombay to guava
Nilesh Patel, beverage head at Salt Water Café, says, “What makes this drink best suited for summer is the sweet tang of guava and the snappy perfume of kaffir lime that come together.”

Ingredients
>> 120 ml guava juice
>> 3 kaffir lime leaves
>> 15 ml lime juice
>> 10 ml sugar syrup
>> Soda to top it off

Method
In a shaker, muddle kaffir lime leaves along with lime juice and sugar syrup. Pour the rest of the ingredients over and shake the drink. Double strain the drink over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass, and garnish the rim with red chilli salt and kaffir lime leaves.

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