4 Amazing drinks you can toss up for Sankranti/ Baisakhi/ Lohri

Image Courtesy: https://adobestockimages.com

Introduction

You may want to woo your cousins, friends, siblings and relatives on the eve of Sankranti. How do you love the idea of a cool beverage like a chilled glass of Thandai? Or, a flavorful smoothie! Post a heavy meal or too, a chilled beverage can top up as a lovely dessert too. Helping you with 4 vegan recipes on smoothies, coolers and drinks with which you can woo your guests with!

Signature Recipe- Thandai

Thandai is a cold beverage and an absolute delicacy that can be served to friends, guests or relatives who arrive home. It can be your dearest brother or sister who visits you in your home country! Hence, this drink can be a welcome drink indeed. Post breakfast or lunch, the thandai serves as a desert cooler too. Want to check the recipe for signature styled Thandai? Here, is how, it goes:

Ingredients needed for the paste:

• Soaked almonds- 10-12
• Soaked pista
• Soaked cashew nuts
• Soaked melon seeds
• Soaked poppy seeds
• A warm cup of non-dairy milk

Ingredients needed for the Spiced powder:

• Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
• Black pepper- 3 or 4
• Cardamom powder- ½ tbsp
• Nutmeg powder- ¼ tbsp

Note: You must set aside another 200 ml of warm non dairy milk and sugar to make the Thandai. 

Method of preparation

• Blend soaked almonds, cashews, pistachio, melon seeds and poppy seeds using a mixer-grinder. You can add ½ a cup of warm non-dairy milk for the paste. You can use almond milk for a richer taste.

• Transfer the paste to a jar. Now, blend the ingredients that make the nut spiced powder. The ingredients are fennel seeds, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and pepper. You get the powder ready.

• Simmer another 200 ml of non-dairy milk like almond milk or cashew milk for about 10 minutes or so.

• As the milk comes to a boil, you can slowly add the dry fruit paste and the spiced powder. You can add sugar for taste. Add saffron soaked in non-dairy milk of your choice.

• The warm milk is now ready to get into the refrigerator. Take it out after two hours. 

• You can serve cool ‘Thandai’ by garnishing the same with slivered almonds!

Rooh Afza aka Rose milk

This is a cooler recipe you cannot afford to skip into. A tall chilled glass of Rooh Afza can be a welcome drink for your siblings or uncles or relatives who turn up at your house for Sankranti/ Baisakhi/ Lohri. Let us get started with the recipe

Ingredients needed:

• Almond milk- 200 ml
• Rooh Afza
• Ice cubes to serve

Method of Preparation:

• Beat up a chilled glass of almond milk using a blender.

• You get a frothy glass of milk.

• You can add Rooh Afza to the milk. Dissolve using a spatula!

• Serve using ice-cubes

Fruit Salad with ice-cream

You can woo your guests with a fun filled fruit salad with ice-cream. You can use a vegan styled recipe to dole out this wonderful recipe that can be a showstopper for Baisakhi or Lohri. You can serve a chilled glass of fruit salad with ice-cream post supper, lunch or dinner. Let us get started with the recipe!

Ingredients needed:

• Custard powder- 2-3 tbsp
• Warm non dairy milk to mix custard powder
• Mangoes- cut into cubes- 1/4th cup
• Pomegranate- 1/4th cup
• Pine-apple- cut into cubes- 1/4th cup
• Grapes- 1/4th cup
• Bananas- cut into cubes- 1/4th cup
• Apples- cut into cubes- 1/4th cup
• 2 cups of non-dairy milk (Oat Milk/ Cashew milk or almond milk)
• Sugar- 1 cup

Method of preparation:

• Take 2 or 3 tablespoons of custard powder into a glass bowl. You can add a glass of warm non-dairy milk. Mix the portion without forming lumps.

• Take a boiler. Boil non-dairy milk. Choose between coconut/ cashew or almond milk on simmer.

• Once the milk starts to boil, you can add the custard powder. And let it simmer. Here, the custard powder cooks into the milk. You can add 1-2 cups of sugar at this stage. 

• Cool the mix down. You can add cut slices of mangoes, apples, bananas, pomegranate, pine-apple and grapes. 

• Refrigerate the fruit salad for 2-3 hours.

• Top up the chilled cup of fruit salad with non-dairy ice-cream. You can add cherries or tootie fruities while serving!

Cold Coffee 

A cold beverage is never complete without that dashing cup of cold coffee. Be it Lohri, Baisakhi or Sankranti! This recipe is always a win-win among friends, cousins, siblings, guests or work colleagues. So, let us get started with the recipe:

Ingredients needed:

• Instant coffee powder- 4 tbsp
• Chocolate powder- ½ cup
• Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 2 glasses of fat milk- Almond milk or any other non-dairy milk of your choice
• Sugar- 3 tbsp
• Choco sprinkles- for garnishing
• Fresh cream- unsweetened- for garnishing- Choose a non-dairy cream, cashew cream can be used here
• Chocolate powder- for layering and garnishing
• Crushed ice- cubes in a jar

Method of preparation:

• Mix cocoa powder and coffee syrup into the full-fat or creamy non-dairy milk. You can add fresh cream and crushed ice-cubes on top. Blend the ingredients using a blender.

• You get a rich and frothy layer of cold coffee. 

• Now, take a tall-chilled beer glass. Layer it up using Hershey’s chocolate syrup. You can add chocolate syrup across the sides of the glass. And pour some chocolate syrup inside the glass as well.

• You are ready to pour the cold cafe into the chocolate smeared glass. 

• Add fresh cream, cocoa powder and chocolate sprinkles for a neat garnishing effect. You can now serve a cafe styled cold coffee pretty much at the comfort of your home. Your guests will love you for this!

Conclusion

We have seen how you can prepare 4 amazing cold drink beverages you can toss up for your guests. This heightens the festive aura when you add a meal and a beverage at the end of it. So, keep rocking on!

About VVegano:

We are an online vegan store based out of India. We have personalized lifestyle products catering to people belonging to the present millennium.  You get nut butters, mock meats, plant-based sweets, dairy-free alternatives, groceries and wellness care products from our store. Do check out some of our outstanding collections right here:

1. Plant-based milk- https://vvegano.com/collections/plant-based-milk
2. Nut butters- https://vvegano.com/collections/nut-butters
3. Chocolates- https://vvegano.com/collections/chocolates
4. Plant-based butters- https://vvegano.com/collections/dairy-butter-alternatives
5. Dairy-free Curds- https://vvegano.com/collections/vegan-curd-yoghurt
6. Vegan Paneer- https://vvegano.com/collections/tofu-paneer
7. Cheese- https://vvegano.com/collections/vegan-cheese
8. Mock meat collections- https://vvegano.com/collections/plantbased-vegan-meats
9. Sweets- https://vvegano.com/collections/sweets
10. Flours- https://vvegano.com/collections/flours
11. Ghee- https://vvegano.com/collections/ghee

For more, log in to https://www.vvegano.com