India has a culinary culture where the beverages had an important place. Among the many varieties of cold and hot indigenous, traditional beverages sharbats were considered best not just as refreshing drinks but also as medicinal remedies. Most of the sarbats were decoctions / infusions of fruits, flowers, herbs, roots grown locally in a specific region.. They were prepared according to the season. Each sharbat had a therapeutic use. I read somewhere that sharbats were introduced by Mughal emperors in India in 16th century.
In North India, where I live, I grew up with sharbats made with rose, khus, hibiscus, mint, lemon, bael, raw mango or kachcha aam, phalsa, sattu, ilmi or tamarind, gur, badam, sandalwood, amla, kewra, ginger and many other things. In summer months sharbats were served during festive occasions, religious ceremonies and to house guests apart from their daily use in homes. These specially made serbats helped to combat the merciless heat of Northern Indian Summer.
In other regions also Sharbats were part of the daily cuisine among other beverages.
Gur ka ghol or gur ka sharbat may not sound fancy but it is delicious taste and has tremendous benefits in terms of keeping the body cool, purifying blood and helping in the digestion. It also helps to ward off dehydration. In rural areas Gur ka ghol was served to anyone who came home from sweltering heat of summer. Gur and water was given separately also. The tradition still continues in many areas but now the commercial drinks are taking over slowly replacing the traditional ones which is a sad thing.
The gur sharbat we drank was prepared with grated jaggery dissolved in water and spiked with black rock salt, lime and mint.
The closest thing to it I found in Old Delhi’s Mohalla Pahadi Imli in chawari bazaar’s chitli Qabar area. The guy makes fantastic gur ka thanda sharbat.
Here we will be making Panakam, a variant of our North Indian Sharbat. Panakam is made in South India during Ram Navmi and is an important Naivedyam. It is not just a summer cooler but it also brings down the body’s heat and stimulates the digestive system. A traditional remedy to prevent dehydration and heat strokes.
Each ingredient in this drink has a purpose and usually it should not be replaced with anything else. You can call it an ayurvedic energy booster.
Panakam / Paanakkam
Jaggery Powder or Grated Jaggery – 3 heaped table spoons
Dry Ginger powder – 1 teaspoon (You can use fresh ginger juice too)
Freshly crushed black peppercorns- 1/2 teaspoon
Green Cardamom – 3-4 crushed
Holy Basil or Tulsi leaves – 2-3
Salt –a pinch
Water – 2 Cups
Lemon (Optional) – 2-3 wheels slightly muddled
Dissolve Jaggery powder or grated Jaggery in half cup of tepid water. I use tepid water to quicken the dissolving process.
Let it set for 15-20 minutes.
Crush dry ginger ( sonth) ( if using whole), black peppercorns ( kali mirch) and green cardamom ( choti elaichi)
Once the jaggery dissolves completely, strain the liquid through a fine mesh to remove all impurities.
In a pitcher add rest of the water. Add the jaggery liquid, crushed spice mix, salt and a teaspoon of lemon juice if using.
Stir properly and refrigerate. The flavours from the spices will slowly get infused in the sharbat.
Take it out just before serving and add lots of ice chunks or cubes.
You can either strain the sharbat or serve it as it is.
Garnish with lemon wheel, Tulsi leaf and green cardamom pods.
This needs to be served chilled.
- Adjust the sweetness with the quantity of jaggery. The sweetness will depend o nthe quality of gur used. Always prefer untreated, chemical free jaggery.
- You can add edible Kamphur too to make it taste like the original panakkum. I don’t prefer it.
- The amount of water used will determine the taste. Adjust spices, sweetness etc according to that.
- Always strain the jaggery liquid so no impurities remain.
- Pepper gives it a unique taste but do not over spice. Use in moderation.