Try These 2 Refreshing Beverage To Keep The Summer Heat Away

Last Updated:April 01, 2026, 17:52 IST

Vibrant, naturally flavoured drinks, these recipes can be made with pantry staples and simple techniques to deliver big taste with minimal effort.

Keep the summer heat away with these 2 refreshing coolers

As summer temperatures climb, cooling down with a drink that is both refreshing and refreshing is a must. Instead of reaching out for those shop-bought fizzy drinks, make these homemade summer coolers at home. Perfect for beating the heat, you do not need to resort to sugary, artificial beverages this summer.

These 2 recipes – Blue Pea Lemonade and Kokum Jeera Soda – that have been shared by Chef Aanal Kotak, are vibrant, naturally flavoured drinks that rely on pantry staples and simple techniques to deliver big taste with minimal effort. Both recipes are easy to scale to share with guests who pop in for a visit or even prepped ahead and stored in the fridge for when the mood strikes.

Kokum Jeera Soda

This fizzy, flavour-packed desi cooler is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and spiced notes, perfect for hot days.

Ingredients:

• 20–25 dried kokum fruits (about 3–4 tablespoons, depending on size)
• 500 ml warm water (for soaking)
• 1½ teaspoons roasted cumin powder (jeera powder)
• 4–5 tablespoons jaggery powder (adjust to taste; about 40–50 g)
• ½ teaspoon chaat masala
• ¼–½ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
• 10–12 fresh mint leaves, lightly bruised
• 3–4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1½–2 lemons)
• Ice cubes (as needed)
• 750 ml chilled soda water

Method:

• Soak and extract the kokum: Rinse the dried kokum fruits and place them in a bowl. Pour the warm water over them and let soak for 3–4 hours. Every 30–45 minutes, gently mash the fruits with the back of a spoon to help them break down and release their flavour and colour into the water. After 3–4 hours, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or muslin cloth into a bowl or jug, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the soaked kokum pieces.
• Make the concentrate: To the strained kokum liquid, add the roasted cumin powder, jaggery powder, chaat masala, black salt, bruised mint leaves, and lemon juice. Stir well until the jaggery and spices dissolve completely. Taste and adjust: add a little more jaggery for sweetness, black salt and chaat masala for tang, or lemon juice for extra sourness. Cover the concentrate and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1–2 hours, or until cold.
• Serve as soda: Fill four glasses with ice cubes. Pour about 150–200 ml of chilled soda water into each glass, then add 3–4 tablespoons of the chilled kokum concentrate to each. Stir gently once to mix. Garnish with a small sprig of mint and a thin slice of lemon if you like. Serve immediately, sipping while the fizz and the tangy flavours are at their freshest.

Blue Pea Flower Lemonade

This vibrant, colour-changing summer cooler is Instagram-worthy, and it is a beautiful blend of floral notes with citrussy freshness.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried blue pea flowers (about 20–25 g)
• 2 cups water (about 500 ml)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (about 30 g; adjust to taste)
• 8–10 ice cubes (2 per glass)
• 3–4 tablespoons soaked chia seeds (about 1.5–2 tablespoons dry chia soaked in ½ cup water for 15–20 minutes)
• ¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
• ½ teaspoon chaat masala
• 500 ml chilled soda water (divided for serving)
• 3–4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1½–2 lemons)
• 4 thin lemon slices (for garnish)

Method:

• Brew the blue pea infusion: In a small saucepan, bring the 2 cups water to a gentle boil. Add the blue pea flowers and powdered sugar, and let steep on low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring once so the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the mixture steep for 10–15 minutes until the liquid turns a deep blue.
• Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth into a jug, pressing the flowers lightly to extract every bit of colour. Discard the flowers and chill the blue pea infusion in the refrigerator until cold (about 1–2 hours).
• Soak the chia seeds: In a small bowl, mix 1.5–2 tablespoons dry chia seeds with about ½ cup water and let sit for 15–20 minutes, stirring once, until they form a gel‑like, slightly crunchy texture. Drain off any excess water if needed.
• Assemble the lemonade: Fill four glasses with ice cubes. Add about 1–1.5 tablespoons of soaked chia seeds to each glass, then sprinkle a pinch of black salt and a light pinch of chaat masala into each.
• Pour about 100–120 ml of the chilled blue pea infusion into each glass, followed by 100–125 ml of chilled soda water. Gently squeeze in about 1–1.5 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice per glass, watching the colour shift from blue to purple. Stir once lightly.Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and serve immediately, while the fizz is lively and the drink is cool and refreshing.