KOCHI: It is the season of sunscreen, popsicles and cool drinks. The people of Kochi are on the run for ways to escape and cool down from the scorching sun. And different shops in Kochi have prepared special heat-buster drinks for them.
Heard of Aval milk? It is an appetiser drink popular in north Kerala. Kumattika Juice shop near MG Road has introduced the drink, a fusion of vanilla ice cream and colourful confectionary, to Kochi. “Aval milk is one of the popular choices, especially in this weather,” says the staff of the shop. With the quirky name ‘kumattika’ roughly translated to watermelon, the juice shop also sells ‘palada’ ice cream, which is another favourite.
Creamcraft Kochi has introduced suprising flavours in their menu. One such flavour is their biryani ice cream. “It does sound weird, but it definitely is a fresh flavour to our tongue,” says Aswathy, a customer.One cannot even think about a summer without sugarcane juice. Cococane Juicery shop in Tripunithura sells fresh sugarcane juice. The x-factor is their customised sugarcane juice mixed with exotic seasonal fruits ranging from ‘Dragon fruit’D Treasure cane’ to ‘Chat Masala Sugarcane’.
“Sugarcane mixed with other fruits of our choices is one of the rarest appetisers I have tasted,” says Ravi, a customer.Fruitbae gained popularity through its Instagram presence. The shop serves tropical fruit juice in shot glasses. “It is 100 per cent pure with no added sugar. I can feel the real taste of the fruit,” says Anjana Murukan.
Getting free buttermilk in the scorching heat is a lifesaver. BTH Sarovaram Kundanoor serves free spicy buttermilk to everyone on the go. “We have been providing this service for the past five years. Thick homemade curd is used in the preparation of the buttermilk and we add cooling elements such as ginger, and curry leaves and green chillies for taste. At least 120 litres of buttermilk is served daily,” Sabu from BTH Sarovaram.
(With inputs from Ann Priya C M, Sai Gayathri R and Aiswarya Lakshmi Menon.)