7 traditional Indian summer drinks people drank before refrigerators

Long before mixers hummed in modern kitchens and bottles of chilled soda lined the fridge, Indian households had their own elegant answer to the heat. They reached for ingredients that were already in the home: milk, curd, jaggery, herbs, seeds, spices, fruit and water. The drinks were not just refreshing. They were practical, seasonal and deeply local, shaped by the logic of old kitchens that knew how to cool the body without electricity. These were the drinks that appeared in clay tumblers, brass glasses and steel tumblers sweating in the afternoon sun. Some were shared with guests, some were made for children, and some were treated almost like medicine. All of them carried the same promise: relief, restoration and a small pause from the punishing Indian summer. Here are seven traditional Indian summer drinks people relied on long before refrigerators became a part of everyday kitchens.

Made from raw mangoes, aam panna is one of the most beloved summer drinks in India because it does so many things at once. It cools, it wakes up the appetite, and it brings back the sharp, tangy taste that only green mango can deliver. In many homes, it was the drink that marked the arrival of the mango season itself.

To make it, boil or roast 2 to 3 raw mangoes until soft. Let them cool, peel off the skin and remove the pulp. Blend the pulp with roasted cumin powder, black salt, regular salt, a little jaggery or sugar, fresh mint leaves and cold water. Strain if you want a smoother texture. Serve it chilled, or at least as cool as the house allows. The taste should be bright, tart and lightly spiced.

Before packaged lemonade took over, shikanji was the Indian summer staple that did the job with far more character. It was made at home, adjusted to taste and served immediately, often with just enough spice to make the coldness feel sharper.

To make it, squeeze 2 lemons into a glass or jug. Add sugar or jaggery, black salt, a pinch of roasted cumin powder and chilled water. Stir until the sweetener dissolves. For more depth, crush a few mint leaves and add them in. A little ginger juice can also bring a welcome bite. It is the simplest drink on this list and still one of the best.

In many Indian homes, chaas was not only a drink but a daily ritual. Made from curd and water, it was the kind of thing mothers offered after lunch because it soothed the stomach and made the heat feel more manageable. Often flavoured with cumin, curry leaves or green chilli, it carried the quiet confidence of old wisdom.

To make chaas, whisk 1 cup of plain curd with 2 to 3 cups of cold water until smooth. Add salt, roasted cumin powder and a few chopped coriander leaves. For a more aromatic version, temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and a pinch of hing in a little oil, then pour it into the chaas. Serve immediately. It should taste light, salty and clean.

Bel, or wood apple, is one of those fruits that feels almost designed for the summer months. Its thick, fragrant pulp was turned into a drink that many families trusted for both comfort and digestion. In the old days, it was a seasonal favourite precisely because it did not rely on refrigeration to feel special.

To make bel sharbat, crack open a ripe wood apple and scoop out the pulp. Soak it in water for about 15 to 20 minutes, then mash it well with your hands or a spoon. Strain out the fibres if needed. Add jaggery or sugar, a pinch of black salt and more water to loosen it into a drinkable consistency. Stir well and serve. The flavour is musky, sweet and deeply Indian.

Jaljeera was the sharp, lively cousin of the summer drink family. Spiced, sour and intensely refreshing, it was often served before meals or during hot afternoons when the body felt weighed down by heat. It carried the personality of a street-side drink, even when made at home.

To make it, blend water with roasted cumin powder, black salt, mint, coriander, a little ginger, lemon juice and a touch of tamarind pulp if you like more tang. Adjust with sugar or jaggery if needed. Strain for a smoother drink. The result should be zesty, savoury and unmistakably cooling.

Thandai may be most famous during Holi, but it has long been a summer drink in North Indian homes, especially when milk was enriched with nuts and spices to make it more nourishing in the heat. It was festive, fragrant and often prepared with care.

In many households, the mixture of soaked nuts and spices would be ground slowly on a stone slab, releasing oils and aromas that filled the kitchen. The preparation itself felt ceremonial, marking the arrival of warmer days and long afternoons.

To make it, soak almonds, cashews, melon seeds and poppy seeds in water for a few hours. Grind them into a smooth paste with cardamom, fennel seeds, black pepper, rose petals if available, sugar and a little milk. Mix this paste into chilled milk and stir well. Strain if needed. Serve cold. Thandai tastes like celebration in a glass.

Sattu, the roasted gram flour beloved across Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, has long been a summer hero. It is filling, affordable and naturally cooling, which is why it was often mixed into a simple drink during scorching afternoons, especially in working households.

To make sattu sherbet, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of sattu to a glass. Mix in cold water slowly so it does not form lumps. Add roasted cumin powder, black salt, a squeeze of lemon and chopped coriander or mint. Some people also stir in a little onion for a savoury version. Drink it fresh, because sattu settles quickly. It is rustic, earthy and surprisingly satisfying.