Khus and Sandal Sharbat, Plus Holi Thandai Without Bhang

Ever wondered why a bottle of khus sharbat is that startling emerald green when the roots it comes from are the colour of dry straw? The answer tells you most of what you need to know about summer sharbats: a lot of what’s in the bottle is colour, flavouring and sugar.

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Khus: the smell of old summers

Before air conditioners, well-off homes in Delhi, Lucknow and Lahore hung khus tattis, thick screens woven from vetiver roots, across doorways and verandas. Servants would splash them with water, and the hot wind blowing through came out cooler and smelling of wet earth. Clay water pots sometimes had a small bundle of roots tucked inside for the same scent.

The sharbat grew out of that fragrance. Dried khus roots are sold in bundles at pansari and attar shops. Look for dry, springy, pale brown roots with a strong, woody, slightly smoky smell when you rub them. Musty or damp-smelling roots have been badly stored.

Homemade khus syrup

This version is pale gold, not green, and tastes of the root rather than of perfume.

Makes about 600 ml syrup

1. Take 30 g dried khus roots. Rinse thoroughly in three changes of water, rubbing them between your palms, since they come with fine soil.
2. Soak the washed roots in 500 ml drinking water in a glass or steel bowl, covered, for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
3. Next morning, squeeze the roots over the bowl to wring out the flavoured water, then strain through a muslin cloth. You’ll have about 450 ml pale, fragrant liquid.
4. Pour into a heavy pan with 350 g sugar. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes.
5. Simmer on low for 6 to 8 minutes without boiling hard (hard boiling drives off the aroma). It should be slightly syrupy, not sticky.
6. Take off the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice, which helps stop crystallisation.
7. Cool completely, pour into a sterilised glass bottle, and refrigerate. Use within 3 to 4 weeks.

To serve, mix 30 ml syrup (2 tablespoons) into 200 ml chilled water, with a squeeze of lemon and a few basil seeds (sabja) soaked for 15 minutes if you like. If you want a hint of green, a few crushed mint leaves are the honest way to get it.

Sandal sharbat and a hard warning

Sandalwood sharbat, sandal ka sharbat, is a summer tradition in Hyderabad, Lucknow and old Bengal. Most bottles you’ll buy today use food-grade sandal flavouring, not wood. That’s not a scandal; real sandalwood is costly and protected in India.

What matters is this: never make a drink from sandalwood essential oil, attar, or cosmetic chandan powder. Oils and perfumes are concentrated and aren’t meant to be swallowed, and face-pack powders may contain other ingredients. If you want sandal sharbat, buy a bottled syrup from a reputable food brand that clearly lists food-grade flavouring, and dilute it more than the label suggests.

The sugar reality

A sharbat is, at heart, sugar water with a beautiful smell. That’s fine as an occasional pleasure, but it’s worth seeing plainly. One level teaspoon of sugar weighs about 4 g.

Simple ways to ease off: use 20 ml syrup instead of 30, add more lemon and ice, or drink sharbat as a small 150 ml glass. Our bel sharbat gets much of its sweetness from fruit, if you want something more filling.

Thandai for Holi, without bhang

Thandai means “the cooling one”, though it’s rich rather than light. The paste of nuts, seeds and spices is ground ahead of time, stirred into cold milk, and handed around on Holi afternoon after the colours. This family-safe version has no bhang, and please keep it that way when children and older relatives are drinking from the same jug.

Makes 1 litre, 5 glasses

• 25 almonds (about 30 g)
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) peeled melon seeds (char magaz)
• 1 tablespoon (6 g) fennel seeds (saunf)
• 2 teaspoons (6 g) white poppy seeds (khus khus), optional, see the cautions
• 8 black peppercorns
• 6 green cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 tablespoon dried edible rose petals (gulkand-grade, unsprayed), or 1 teaspoon rose water added at the end
• A pinch (about 15 strands) saffron, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm milk
• 60 g sugar
• 1 litre full-fat or toned milk, boiled and chilled

1. Soak almonds, melon seeds, saunf, poppy seeds, peppercorns and cardamom seeds together in 150 ml water for 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Drain. Slip the skins off the almonds by pinching them.
3. Grind everything with the rose petals, sugar and 100 ml of the cold milk to a very smooth paste, 2 to 3 minutes in a blender. Stop and scrape the sides twice.
4. Stir this paste and the saffron milk into the rest of the chilled milk.
5. Strain through a fine sieve if you want it silky; many families leave it slightly textured.
6. Chill for 1 hour and serve in 200 ml glasses with a sprinkle of crushed pistachio.

The paste keeps for 4 days in the fridge in a clean jar, so you can make it before Holi. Mixed thandai should be finished within 24 hours. Read more about spotting fake saffron and choosing fresh saunf.

What these drinks can’t do

You’ll hear that khus “purifies the blood” or that sandal sharbat “removes body heat”. These are traditional descriptions, not things anyone can check with a thermometer. They’re refreshing because they’re cold, fragrant and sweet. In real heat, water, shade and rest do the heavy lifting.

For the heartier, less sugary side of summer drinks, try sattu sharbat or the fermented black carrot kanji, which shares Holi week with thandai. There’s plenty more in Desi Remedies.