Sip, savour, soothe: Unique regional summer drinks of India

livemint.com:

variyali sharbat. This summer drink from the state of Gujarat—made from just two ingredients saunf soaked overnight (fennel seeds) ground up with khaadi saakar (rock sugar candy) in a stone mortar and pestle, then strained and diluted with water—was something Diwekar claimed is not just a cool aid for summer. Hand grinding in a stone mortar pestle is an important step because it's a cold grind to preserve the aromas and essential oils of the spices as opposed to the grinding them in a mixer which heats up affecting the delicate essence.

The drink acts as a a “liquid salve" for the insides. Helping one combat everything from constipation, bloating, excessive gas to helping eliminate prickly heat rash and promoting a good night’s sleep. Available widely across the country at both retail and online grocery stores under the brand names like Home Made and Mapros, this fennel-forward coolant is must-try.

Motumal Tanumal Sharbatwala’s Sons has launched a sugar-free version of this sharbat. Just like variyali sharbat, India has a treasure trove of relatively unknown, drinkable summer coolants simply waiting to be discovered and savoured. Very similar to variyali sharbat is sheetal samagri found mainly in places like Mathura, Brajbhoomi and Vrindavan, given its Lord Krishna underpinnings.