Thandai

Thandai is a cold, spiced milk drink of northern India and Pakistan, built on a fragrant paste of soaked almonds and seeds blended into sweetened milk and chilled. Its name comes from thanda, meaning cold, and it is above all a cooling drink — a creamy, perfumed refresher for hot weather and the signature beverage of the spring festival of Holi. The body is rich and nutty, the scent layered with cardamom, fennel, saffron and rose, and a little ground black pepper and peppercorn gives it a faint warming bite beneath the sweetness. Because milk is fundamental to it, thandai is a dairy drink, not a vegan one.