I don't know how much of a role global warming has to play, but it feels like it is getting hotter every summer in Bombay. Perhaps, it's just me getting older and grouchier and more flustered by the heat. Either way, this summer seemed to be the worst. I was always feeling thirsty, and the kids and I were continuously jonsing for cold drinks. I don't care for them drinking a lot of colas and other soft drinks, because I can't control the sugar there, and heaven knows what other chemicals are in it. But fizzy drinks are so pleasant. So we made some of our own using club soda, and other interesting ingredients.
Strawberry lemon cooler
This is a slight variation of fresh lime soda. Sueeze out a third of a lemon in to a glass, and add a tablespoon of strawberry crush. We got a lot of this on our Mahabaleshwar trip. Mix the lemon and strawberry crush thoroughy. Add a little cold water if needed. Then drop in a few ice cubes and add club soda. Your strawberry lemon cooler is good to go, and it is astonishingly refreshing. You can add more lemon or more strawberry crush depending on if you prefer it tangier or sweeter.
Chocolate cream soda
We made a chocolate flavoured cream soda, but you can make this any flavour you like, by using the syrup of the appropriate flavour. Chocolate was easy for us to make, because which house hold with kids doesn't have a bottle of Hershey's chocolate sauce these days?
Take two tablespoons of amul light cream and add a table,spoon of Hershey's chocolate syrup in a glass and mix thoroughly. Add in a couple of tablespoons of chilled club soda and mix vigourously again. Now slowly pour in more chilled soda a little at a time till you reach the top of the glass. Do it slowly, or it will rise suddenly and flow over creating an awful mess, which could be fun too I guess.
Your chilled cream soda is ready. Enjoy! Kids really really love this one.