It’s that dreaded time of the year again. We are on the verge of summer and we all know what that means; the scorching sun mercilessly beating down upon us. The Pakistani summer is characterized by an exponential increase in the sale of all things cool and refreshing, like ice-cream, kulfi (a frozen milk-based treat with nuts and saffron) and juices. The number of juice-walas (read, roadside juice stalls) propping up all across the country is directly proportional to the ever-soaring temperatures. These juice-walas serve all kinds of tempting (albeit unhygienic) concoctions using popular ingredients like watermelons, lemons and rooh-afza (a Pakistani drink concentrate).

Commuting to work during summers is a chore most people detest, and there’s nothing more enticing than the call of the juice-wala screaming ‘Thanda Thanda Limo Pani. Sirf Panch Rupay, Panch Rupay, Panch Rupay!’ (Cool, cool lemonade for just five rupees). Please do not pay heed to the juice-wala, no matter how thirsty you may be. The contents of the juice are questionable at best and you never know when, if ever, the glass was last washed. Instead, pick up some fresh produce on your way home and make one of these five lip-smacking coolers to satisfy your summer craving.

Watermelon-Strawberry Cooler

Ingredients:

• 300 grams watermelon (just the red fleshy part)
• 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 4-5 strawberries (use frozen if fresh are not available)

Kiwi-Lemon Chiller

Ingredients:

• 3 kiwis (slightly ripe)
• 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon honey
• ½ cup water

Pina Colada

Ingredients:

• ½ pineapple (use 4-5 slices of canned pineapple if fresh isn’t available)
• ½ cup of coconut water

Lime-Mint Mojito

Ingredients:

• ½ tablespoon lime juice
• 4-5 mint leaves
• ½ tablespoon honey
• 1 cup water

Apple-Pomegranate Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 1 pomegranate

For all the recipes listed above, use the method listed below:

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix well; if you have a juicer/extractor or a hand-blender, those would work too
2. Use a fine-mesh sieve to remove the pulp from the juice; press on the pulp using a spoon to get all the juice out
3. Keep the juice in the freezer for at least 1 hour
4. Add a handful of crushed ice before serving

These drinks are an absolute hit at dinner parties, so why not be the juice-wala your guests desperately need you to be? Remember: with great power (read, recipes), comes great responsibility!

Enjoy!

p.s. Each of the recipes listed above takes a maximum of 5 minutes to prepare and yields approx. 250 to 300 ml sufficient for one large or two small servings, depending on how thirsty you are.