Bael sharbat

Bael sharbat is a cooling Indian summer drink made from the aromatic pulp of the ripe bael or wood apple (Aegle marmelos), scooped from its hard woody shell, soaked and mashed in water, strained of its seeds and stringy fibre, then sweetened with sugar or jaggery and diluted for serving over ice. Cloudy and amber-brown, it is mildly sweet with a soft resinous, marmalade-like tang unlike any Western fruit cooler. Long valued across the Indian subcontinent as a hot-weather cooler and gut soother, it is prized for calming the stomach and cooling the body through the fierce pre-monsoon heat. It is non-alcoholic, caffeine-free and, in its plain form, vegan.