From India to Jamaica, these traditional drink recipes will take you on a yummy adventure like no other!
Mango Lassi
A smooth, creamy Indian yoghurt drink. Lassi’s origins can be traced back to Punjab, North India, authentic Indian Lassi is the world’s 1st smoothie, born in 1,000 BC.
Ingredients
- 2 mangos – peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup ice
Prep time: 5 min
Step
In a blender, combine mangos, yogurt, sugar and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
Source: allrecipes.com
Jamaican Ginger Beer
Ginger beer traces its birth to Great Britain in the 1700’s and was originally an alcoholic beverage. British soldiers who were stationed in faraway places like Africa and the Caribbean brought the beverage with them. When soldiers eventually left, the ginger beer remained, evolving into other recipes like Traditional Jamaican Ginger Beer.
Ingredients
- 1lb Fresh ginger
- 10 cups Hot water
- 3-5 Whole cloves
- 1 Tbsp Cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup Fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar
Step 1
Blend fresh ginger in batches with water and pour mixture in large bowl
Step 2
Add cloves and cream of tartar to mixture and steep in fridge overnight (or for at least four hours, if making same day).
Step 3
Using a fine strainer (or one with a cheesecloth), strain steeped ginger beer into another bowl.
Step 4
Add lime juice and sugar to ginger beer and stir
Step 5
Pour into a large bottle and store in fridge. Serve over ice
Source: coolikeajamaican
Tart Sweet Tamarind
A popular African beverage, the tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is an evergreen tree native to Eastern Africa. The tamarind fruit is a seedpod, brown in colour and several inches long, which contains a sour-tasting pulp; today it is most often found in various Indian chutneys, curries, and preserved-fish, as well as in Britain’s famous Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients
- 7 ½ cups cold water (divided)
- 4 ozs tamarind (pulp, coarsely chopped)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Lime slices OR 1 tsp of vanilla (optional)
Step 1
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Combine boiling water and tamarind pulp in a bowl; mash with a fork. Let stand 10 minutes. Mash tamarind again. Press through a sieve into a bowl, pressing pulp firmly against the sieve to extract all liquid. Discard solids.
Step 2
Combine tamarind liquid and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid thickens slightly. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
Step 3
Combine tamarind syrup with remaining 6 cups water in a large pitcher. Serve over ice. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.
Prep: 27 mins
Source: yummly.co.uk
Pearl Milk Tea (Bubble Tea)
One of the most popular soft drinks among young people in mainland China this Taiwan import includes jelly or pudding-like bubbles in sweetened milk tea. The “ancestor”of bubble tea originated in the early 80’s from a teashop called Chun Shui Tang. After successfully marking a turning point for Taiwanese tea culture, pearl milk tea was introduced in 1987. In the beginning, other ingredients were added to the milk tea such as fruits and sugar coated yam.
There are so many recipes, it was hard to find one, but try Strawberry Almond Milk Bubble Tea…
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup large tapioca pearls
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 berry-flavored tea bags
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 2 strawberries, pureed
- 1/2 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
Step 1
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add tapioca, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Step 2
Drain tapioca and rinse. Place in a small bowl; stir in honey until combined.
Step 3
Steep tea in hot water until water is room temperature. Remove tea bags.
Step 4
Place about 1-2 tablespoons of tapioca mixture into a glass. Stir in tea, strawberry, almond milk and ice.
Source: visionsofsugarplum
Leche Merengada
A classic Spanish drink made with milk, cinnamon, sugar, lemon zest and egg whites. It can also be made into a dessert and is part of a famous children’s song, entitled “Tengo una vaca lechera” (“I Have a Milk Cow”) which talks about a cow who gives sweet and tasty leche merengada.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups (250 gr) granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- zest of 1 lemon
- 4 egg whites
Step 1
Pour the milk, 1 cup (200 gr) sugar, cinnamon stick and the lemon zest into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium high. As soon as the milk begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick and strain the milk through cheesecloth to remove the grated lemon zest.
Step 3
Pour the egg whites and remaining sugar into a clean, dry glass bowl. Beat eggs whites to a stiff peak.
Step 4
Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, and carefully fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula until the mixture is homogenous.
Step 5
Cover the bowl, sealing it tightly. Place into the freezer for at least 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the freezer and mix on low speed with an electric mixer before serving. Serve cold in a tall glass with a straw.
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 10 minutes
Source: aboutfood
(Cover photo & feature images via tumblr)
