Nannari Sherbet

Nannari sherbet (also nannari sarbath) is a cooling South Indian syrup drink made from the root of Hemidesmus indicus, the plant known as Indian sarsaparilla or nannari. A dark, fragrant decoction of the root is boiled down with sugar into a thick cordial, then diluted with cold water and lemon and served over ice, often with soaked basil (sabja) seeds bobbing in the glass. The flavour is sweet and gently tart with a distinctive rooty, almost vanilla- and-wintergreen perfume, and the drink is prized across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh as a summer thirst-quencher believed to cool the body.