Kokum sharbat

Kokum sharbat is a tangy, deep-pink cooler of coastal western India, built on the sun-dried, salted rind of the kokum fruit (Garcinia indica). The dried rind or a ready-made kokum syrup is steeped and sweetened, seasoned with roasted cumin and a little salt, and diluted with cold water to give a bright, ruby-magenta drink that is sharply sour, lightly sweet and gently savoury. A fixture of the Konkan coast, Goa and Maharashtra through the fierce summer months, it is prized as a thirst-quencher and digestive that cools the body in the coastal heat. It is non-alcoholic, caffeine-free and, in its plain form, vegan.