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Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Mocktails with Barley, Jamun and Plums

28 July 2014 2 Comments

healthy indian fruity moctails

Nothing screams summer like dark, plump and fleshy Jamun or Java plums. Local markets in many places of India gets flooded with these purple beauties during summer months.

I remember how crazy we were to buy a handful of salted Jamuns wrapped loosely in a newspaper (yes, you read it right) from an old lady outside our school premise. And the stubborn purple stain on our uniform, tongue and hands would never let us hide our mischief from mom.

I love Jamuns but am not able to convince my children enjoy this summer fruit. That is when the idea of making a drink with it stumble upon. And out came two refreshing and healthy summer drinks using plums and Jamun or Java plums.

The characteristic sweet-sour and astringent after taste of Jamun makes it a perfect fruit for a summer drink. I made a refreshing summer drink last year using sweet-sour Jamuns which finally did the trick to make my children Jamun convert. They prefer the sweeter version of Jamun Jal- Jeera Sparkling Punch.

Enjoy these alcohol-free summer drinks when these nature’s bounty are in abundance.

Thanks to another contest on IFBM, this recipe which was in my draft since 2013 is seeing the light of day, finally.

Make these refreshing Indian summer coolers, add a few fresh mint sprigs and celebrate summer a healthy way.

1. Barley-Plum Summer Splash

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

A dash of lemon juice mixed with barley water is an old fashioned tonic of grandma and is a perfect energetic drink. My mom used to make barley water during summer days. Here are a few Barley drink recipes posted on Lite Bite in 2011.

I wanted to add a zing to my barley drink by pairing Plums with the humble grain.  The sweet-sour taste of plums adds an extra dimension to barley drink apart from imparting a wonderful hue to it.

Ingredients;

(serve 3-4)

  • 1/2 cup pearl Barley
  • 10 Plums
  • 1/4 tsp. Grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp Honey to sweeten
  • 3 cups Water
  • 2 whole lemons
  • Crushed ice

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

Method;

Wash and soak barley in 3 cups of water for 3-4 hours. Boil Barley in water for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

Strain the mixture in a large jar and let the barley water cool.

Wash and remove flesh from Plums. Blend in a blender to make plum puree.

Add honey and plum puree to barley water. Slice the lemons, remove the seeds, add it to the drink and slightly squeeze them with your fingers inside the jar. . I did not squeeze the lemons in my drink as the Plums were too tart.

Refrigerate the drink till use.

Serve Barley- plum summer splash with crushed ice and a few sprigs of fresh mint leaves.

For a salty version of this Barley-Plum summer splash add the following ingredients and avoid honey;

  • 1/4 tsp. Cumin powder
  • A pinch of Pepper powder
  • A pinch of black salt

Serve chilled and enjoy this healthy summer cooler.

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

2. Jamun Jal Jeera Sparkling Punch

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

Ingredients;

(serve 3)

  • 20 Jamun or Java plum
  • 2 cups soda water
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cane sugar (optional)
  • 2 tsp. Jal jeera spice-mix
  • Crushed ice

Jal- Jeera mix;

  • 1 tbsp. Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp. Black salt (kala namak)
  • 1 tsp. Amchoor (dry mango) powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

Method; Wash and remove flesh from all the Jamuns. Churn chopped Jamun with one cup of water in a blender.

Strain the mixture and discard the residue.

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

Roast cumin and coriander for a few minutes and grind into a fine powder. Mix all the ingredients for Jal jeera mix and store the powder in an air tight container.

Take a large bowl and add strained Jamun juice, cane sugar, Jal jeera spice-mix and stir well.

Chill this liquid and let the spices infuse in the drink.

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

To serve Jamun Jal- Jeera Sparkling Punch, strain the drink to remove the spices from it, fill a glass with half of the above Jamun mixture, add soda water and crushed ice.

Recipes | Healthy and Refreshing Indian Summer Drinks

Any cocktail glass will make these mocktails look beautiful, this post is for Urban Dazzle contest on IFBM.

Notes;

  1. Add boiled and strained barley pearls to your drink for more nutritious drink.
  2. You can increase or decrease sugar quantity in the both the drinks according to the sweetness of  fruits. (Jamun or Plums).
  3. Select dark skinned ripe fruits for making the drinks.
  4. You can also sprinkle a little Jal Jeera spice-mix while serving the drink.
  5. You can make this summer splash ahead by making the fruit juice and chilling in refrigerator. Add the soda just before serving.

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2 Comments »

  • Lata Raja said:

    What lovely pink to the jamun drink.I would love it sweet too, though I am a big fan of jail jeera. And to think of giving a barley drink the much needed make up is very innovative.

  • Shashi @ runninsrilankan said:

    There are so many fruits I love, but my daughter cannot be convinced to try still – this gorgeous jamun drink sounds incredibly refreshing

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