Rose Lemonade

The first whiff of this drink will put you somewhere in the middle east that too in the times when kings and queens prevailed and they often enjoyed exotic drinks from ornate cups. At least that where it put me. Yes, exotic is the right word for this drink. To bring you back to modern times, thaw out of winter and welcome spring while you enjoy your favorite TV show at the end of an exhausting day - it is guaranteed to put a spring in your step - no pun intended. I already spoke enough about the smell and yes that is the best part and what's more, that fragrance makes the crisp bubbly lemonade - the kind that you have had several times before - just that extra special.

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Nutella Latte

Featured on : The Kitchn

This is so completely absolutely delicious. Nutella just makes anything and everything taste better. Go make up a cup and see for yourselves. Make a cup either to wake you right up in the morning and get you ready for the day or a quick hot cup in the evening to take the weariness of the day away. Mocha and hazelnut - a match made in culinary heaven. This version uses instant coffee but if you wouldn't have it without fresh brewed espresso, feel free.The smell of hot coffee seems perfect in this season but if you are the type that always prefers the frappe kind, I do have a similar cold coffee recipe here.
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Mango Pineapple Smoothie

There are a very few things sweet that my little one will let touch her taste buds. She even drinks her daily glass of milk with no sugar. Chocolate is one thing she enjoys but although a total chocoholic when it comes to drinks she doesn't even like hot chocolate or chocolate milkshake - go figure. As far as drinks go, mango based drinks is one the recent finds the we discovered she thoroughly enjoys. It happened at a recent visit to an Indian restaurant at their lunch buffet. They had a dispenser with Mango Lassi. It took a little effort to get her to try it. We always make it a point to get her to try things, the conversation usually goes - "Try it, you don't have to eat any more if you don't like it". Well... those 30 minutes at the restaurant, that mango lassi is all she drank. Several little cups full.
Hence this drink. Granted its a variation of your typical mango lassi, I wanted to put a little tropical tang and twist with it. Yes she enjoyed this too.
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Sparkling Iced Tea Basil Limeade

The world drinks tea hot or at least I thought until I came to the United States. Hot tea was a mystery here up until a couple of years ago when Starbucks introduced the chai latte, which by-the-way is no where close to the hot steaming 'elaichi-adrak' desi chai that I knew growing up. I will be honest here, I have tried the iced tea several times, tried hard to build a liking for it, even tried to convince myself that it might be an acquired taste - did not work (hubs is sitting here nodding his head, he didn't care for it much either). Alright, so much about what I do not like. I sat back and in my head tried to extract the good from the iced tea and compensate for the part that was not so much. My conclusion was that iced tea needed some citrus and some fizz. So that is exactly what I did - some lime and sparkling water and voila it worked great - both as a refreshing crisp citrusy drink made exotic with the goodness of leaf tea and also to revive a tired hubs just back from work - an awake hubs is much more useful than a tired sleepy one *wink*.

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Mango Lime Cooler

ot sure if its the summer doing it or its just me but lately I have been enjoying making different kinds of lemonades and summer coolers. Takes few ingredients, minimum effort and the result is a tasty drink that everyone enjoys and you get to additionally enjoy the compliments as they come back from school or work and feel the need to cool down. This is one such in the series that I made lately. With the fabulous taste and sweetness from the ripe mangoes and the fresh citrusy lime flavor, it has a feel of a sophisticated mocktail with a tropical twist. Something you would want to sit sipping on the beach on a hot summer afternoon (yes you can put an umbrella in your glass :) A refreshing taste that you will remember and will want to come back often to.

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Sparkling Blueberry Basil Limeade (Skinny)

hill out in style this summer with this bright, lively and very refreshing berry-lime drink. I am a big fan of lemonades/limeades myself but the big problem I have with them is they are loaded with sugar. So here's a recipe that lets you chill by the pool in style without having to load up on sugar. Hubs was a little skeptical when he heard of a blueberry drink. He likes most all berries except these and raspberries. I had it ready for him when he got back from work. Back home from the hot Florida sun. He took a sip and I could see his face light up. Of course he followed the sip with a detailed description of how good was it and why, how it was crisp and cool and tasted like lime and blueberries in the best way possible, but for me I had gotten my feedback even before he started talking. That was enough.

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Pink Lemonade

ot sure if its the summer doing it or its just me but lately I have been enjoying making different kinds of lemonades. Takes few ingredients, minimum effort and the result is a tasty drink that everyone enjoys and you get compliments for as they come back from school or work and feel the need to cool down. This is one such in the series that I made lately.
As the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous hint of the berrylicious fresh cranberry flavor riding over the base of refreshing citrus of lemons, this drink has the taste that you will remember and will want to come back often to.
A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Pink lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

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Strawberry Lassi

uscious plump strawberries so aptly represent the essence of spring and summer in my opinion. Nature at its prime, vibrant and full while the strawberries are gorgeously plump, red, sweet and juicy, a delightful treat for the eyes and taste buds alike. The bright sunshine, the blooms and the flowers make you feel good and you are practically forced into thinking what a beautiful day it is. It just feels like mother nature is... well... happy. That is exactly how I feel at the sight of the red strawberries which are to be seen everywhere. My shopping baskets get filled with the bright reds every time I visit the stores – they are irresistible. Between getting them out of the grocery bags, washing them and putting them away in the refrigerator, quite a few of them are gone already. Hubs being his usual nonchalant self, will open a box, grab one with its leaves on top, take a big bite, chuck the stub into the trash, repeat the steps with a few more of them, emphatically claim that they were awesome, forgetting it as soon as he says it and return to whatever it is that he was doing before he raided the box. Makes me smile every time.

It might seem a little strange but even though I have claimed our love for strawberries, neither hubs nor I like smoothies the way they make it here. Can't explain why, we just don't. So I have always wanted to incorporate these berries into a smoothie-like drink. This lassi was the perfect answer. It has all the goodness and the perfect texture of your traditional lassi. It is thick and creamy, feels like a mouthful and drenches your throat as it goes down while leaving that tingling taste in your mouth involuntarily making you go for the next gulp.

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Mint Ginger Lemonade

ummer is almost here. It is the season that is welcomed in many parts of the world and dreaded in others. I happen to hail from the part that falls under the latter. Mere mention of summer makes me start thinking about anything cold or refreshing that helps cool you down in the sweltering heat. My foodie brain starts to visualize different kinds of drinks that I can make and enjoy. Guess you can say in some rather strange way summer also gets the creative juices flowing, no pun intended. Refreshing oftentimes to me means some combination of mint and what better to put it together in a drink that I have rarely seen anyone dislike, the lemonade. A simple recipe that done right can get you rave accolades.

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Thandai/Spicy Nutty Almond Milk

oli is this Thursday. This Festival of Colors is undoubtedly one of the most fun filled of all the festivals in India. The celebration of the advent of spring, this festival is tied to a lot of religious significance as are all the other festivals in India and also signifies the triumph of good over evil. Huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi to commemorate this spirit.

As with any festivities, there are loads of fond memories with Holi as well. For those not aware, the tradition might seem a little odd but here is how it was done - and boy was it fun. The morning of the festival, you would wake up and go out on the streets armed with all your washable paints, colors and gulal. Any person you find young or old, whether you know them or not, you make sure you get them painted beyond recognition. Of course you get the brunt of it too, so much so you would not recognize if you saw yourself in the mirror... no kidding. While you did all that, you would sneak an occasional peek in the house and pick a taste of all the goodies mom was busy cooking up. I remember how my mom and aunts used to cook up a storm and how all of us children would huddle up in the kitchen and be curious and all excited, waiting for the treat. The sweet aroma of festivity, sounds of laughter, the deep frying, chit-chat, gossip.

On this occasion it is customary to drink thandai - a cold refreshing beverage made with milk that is infused with almond and few exotic spices often traditionally mixed with ground hemp paste or bhaang. Bhaang  is prepared with ground leaves and flowers buds of the cannabis plant which works like a relaxant and gives a intoxicating kick :) You guessed it, as kids, we weren't allowed. This  version here is of-course the non-intoxicating version and perfect for the upcoming hot summers and not to mention very nutritious as well.

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Spiced-up Nutella Hot Chocolate

inter is around the corner. Yay! It is getting cooler by the day. Well its sixty degrees so some of you might not think it to be much of 'winter' but that is how us south Floridians see onset of winter. lol and I totally love it. Talking about what else I love - Fridays - the best day of the week, well who doesn't huh. Waiting for five long days and nights for Friday evening is not easy. I get to go out and have lots of fun. Be it movies, catching up with friends, eating out, shopping etc. Can watch TV late into the night no school, no office, can sleep in till late the following morning and have two full more days to relax. lol.

The only other thing that can top a cool cozy winter friday evening is curling up on the couch with my two sweethearts (daughter and  hubs) with a hot cups of cocoa (you knew chocolate was coming, didn't you)... aaah... Sipping this blissful heavenly hot cocoa and watching an old Hindi movie with cheesy dialogues but soulful songs.
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Saffron Mango Lassi

ow summer is not my most favorite season but for some reason I have a strange sense of longing now that it is almost over. This drink is an ode to summer saying goodbye and what better than to do that with with king of summer fruits ~ the Mango! The sound of 'Lassi' reminds me of hot summer afternoons, a tall glass filled with a chilled frothy yogurt drink. Summers in India are even harsher than here but they still used to be fun. Not just because we used to have long vacation away from school and we were allowed to just go out and play, visiting grandparents, all the pampering .. but also because the season would bring a lot of fun and cool food and fruits and berries - mangoes, jamun, lassi, a million varities of kulfi, soda pops, ice-chuski and the list goes on.

Lassi is a sweet chilled yogurt based drink is especially loved by all n very popular all over India especially in the northern and north-western parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Being made of yogurt it has a cooling effect so just the right thing to do to gulp own a tall glass before you head out in the scorching sun. 

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Nutella Cold Coffee

old coffee is a popular drink. I knew that. But only when I published this Cold Coffee drink riding on Nutella (think: cold coffee on steroids) way back in July of 2010, I realized just how powerful a simple drink can be. The instant response and acceptance it received then and has received ever since is just overwhelming and even more humbling. So much so that ever since I posted this original recipe, I have seen it copied over several times by different folks on their websites, some have been nice enough to extend courtesy, some haven't. So feel free to reproduce and publish the recipe, just do remember to keep the spirit of sharing by linking back to the original post.
I just had to do it again. So dear friends here it is again - the USMasala ever popular Nutella Cold Coffee, repackaged for your viewing and drinking pleasure.
I have not changed the original post from July, 2010 which went as below -
One sunday evening after a heavy brunch and a relaxing nap me and hubby both were craving for some cold coffee (I wanted it with chocolate:) ) and didn't want to drive to starbucks.. so I raided my pantry and refrigerator and came up with this recipe with whatever I could lay my hands on and he went WOW! Now it is regular in our household, also have wowed guests by serving this who always ask for the recipe and don't believe how simple it is to make. Perfect for summer evenings and even as a dessert drink after dinner.Both of us like our coffee with chocolate so I used some Nutella (I did not have any chocolate ice-cream). The chocolate hazelnut flavor of Nutella mixed with coffee is just wonderful and refreshing. You will not believe drinking something so elegant and decadent was made in a matter of minutes.

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Minty Raspberry and Blueberry Spritzer!

ime flies. Probably the most corny yet the most profound phrase of all time. Summer is already coming to an end. Can you believe it appears like it was only yesterday that we celebrated the New Year 2011 and it it already September, even feels funny writing 2011, want to think its still 2006! While we get ready to welcome the fall with the thoughts of celebrating Dussehra, Diwali and Thanksgiving, this is one pretty pinky summer cooler you must try. Summer is 'berry season' so here is an ode to summer with this 'berrylicious' cool vibrant drink which  is perfect for a lazy summer afternoon or a casual get together or even those fun weekend pool parties. Kids will love this and you can even add a splash of vodka for a little adult treat!

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Aam Panna/Green Mango and Mint drink

hopping in air-conditioned malls is the modern trend. If you have ever shopped old-school on the streets in India in the scorching heat of summer you would know that it gives the saying 'shop till you drop' a whole new meaning. Just when you have shuttled around twenty odd stores and looked through scores of dresses and hundreds of accessories and are about to 'drop' from the heat and exhaustion but still want to go to the store around the corner - who knows maybe they have the perfect accessory to go with the dress you just bought - you feel a serious craving for this drink. You crave for a glassful of Aam Panna to give you that much needed relief and recharge yourself. You start looking around for the nearest push-cart vendor or stall that is making them fresh and yes you are bound to find it around every street corner.

This drink basically comes from the streets of northern India and is popular because of its cooling properties. A nice and refreshing drink made of raw unripe mangoes which gives it a tangy flavor and  the refreshing mint that gives a cool fresh taste. Freshly roasted cumin for a smoky taste, the black salt adds the flavor which cannot be substituted by anything else. Complete with the right amount of sugar makes it a perfect thirst quencher.

Back home where I come from it is always made with roasted charred mangoes. Some people also boil the mangoes. It does work both ways, but the charring process gives it a nice smoky touch. Mom would make a big jug full of this Aam Panna during the months of late April and May when raw mangoes were found in markets in abundance.

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Strawberry Basil Lemonade

s the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, very girly - romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous flavor of fresh juicy strawberries riding over the base of refreshing citrusy lemons with a twist of basil infused syrup, this drink has the taste that you will want to remember and come back often to.

A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Strawberry lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

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Desi Coffee / Indian Espresso - by him!

ere is a instant coffee recipe that is now on top of my list of recipes for coffee based drinks. The other day on a lazy sunday afternoon we felt like some hot coffee. Just when I was about to put a pot on, hubby out-of-the-blue asked if I had any instant coffee. He had suddenly recalled how him and his hostel buddies used to make instant coffee during college days.

There is no way I am ever going to drink hot coffee any other way now. I am so hooked. It is special also as I believe somehow it makes me a part of those days when he was in college (of course I gave him a hard time about what took him all these years to get reminded of it :) Besides the emotional aspect of it, I was also enamored by the details of the steps involved in getting it perfect.

Let me tell you that this coffee is the way coffee is done in Indian households (except with his twist in the whisking process). If you have lived outside of India for a while and your taste buds have gotten used to the bitter black coffee (or for that matter have never tasted 'Indian coffee'), this may take a little getting used to. This coffee is much lighter in color, is sweet, is milk based and is totally out of this world good.

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Watermelon Cooler

y hubby is not the biggest fruit lover. He likes (read: can eat) banana, guava and ripe mangoes. I on the other hand love all kinds of fruit (except banana and mangoes, go figure) and can live on the fresh fruit juice and salads for a few days. Also, because of all the goodness of fruit, I try to incorporate them in our meals at-least once a day. Hubby always takes one or two bites and I am the one left to finish his and my plate. Same with my little one. She is even stranger with her fruit habits. She only likes fresh pineapple and orange juice. Her reasoning why she doesn't like a particular fruit is because of the color, watermelon is too red, papaya is too yellow, guava is too green. But then who's to argue with her that my dear pineapple is yellow too, lol!

Anyway, thats a little 'fruity' detail about my family, back to the post. Days are getting hotter by the day in this part of the world. I had this big seedless sweet watermelon sitting in the refrigerator that I recently got from Costco. It was not possible for me alone to finish (although I did finish half of it all by myself). I thought why not make a drink out of it. The thought of adding a little sparkling water came to me, which in my opinion does wonders to any cool drink. Mixed in a few mint leaves and a little lemon juice and served it over some ice. To my surprise both hubby and kiddo loved it. It was refreshing, gorgeous and a great alternative to soft drinks and helps with your daily intake of fruit too.

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