Kokum Juice (Kokum Sharbat)

A perfect drink for summers; Kokum Sharbat is a Konkani beverage made from dried kokum (garcinia indica) and a handful of ingredients.

This bright colored drink is easy to make and has the perfect sweet and sour taste when served with cold water and mint sprigs.

Summers are made for delicious refreshing drinks and meals. While it gets super warm there are so many ingredients that are great to add to our diet. From yogurt and basil seeds to rose syrup and jaggery. These naturally cool the body down and keep us dehydration free.

It is during summers that I make lemongrass cooler, jaggery mint drink, falooda and lassi. These drinks cool us and are so delicious to have.

Along with these there is kokum. A popular Indian ingredient that makes its presence in summers but is great to enjoy throughout the year. There are so many recipes to make using this kokum in various forms. And most of them are super delicious.

Jump to:

• What is Kokum
• This Kokum Sharbat
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Storage and Serving
• Making the recipe with fresh Kokum
• Recipe FAQs
• More Refreshing Drink Recipes
• Kokum Sharbat

What is Kokum

Kokum is a fruit bearing tree that grows in the Western part of India. Garcinia Indica as it is also called is packed with flavor and often used as a souring agent in many recipes including syrups, dals and some curries.

The health benefits of Kokum are countless:

• It is known to aid weight loss; it has contains hydroxycitric acid that assists in burning stored fat.
• Kokum has a naturally cooling property that helps cool down body and avoid a heat stroke during summers. As per Ayurveda, it is excellent in reducing the pitta dosha.
• This has anti-inflammatory property that helps alleviate pain and swelling caused by arthritis and other health conditions.
• Kokum is rich in antioxidants and inhibits lipid peroxidation. Due to these properties, it has hepatoprotective or liver-protecting activity.
• This fruit is also rich in vitamins and minerals; including vitamin C, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Given the benefits, it is really amazing to enjoy kokum in various forms. The dried kokum is often called amsol and we often add it to Gujarati Dal as a souring agent. It is added to so many coconut based curries and used to make Sol Kadhi; a popular Maharashtrian recipe. Plus, it makes a super colorful and delicious syrup for sharbats and other drinks.

This Kokum Sharbat

Kokum finds application in many recipes including dal and curries. However, my family would rarely use it to sour curries. Instead, we used to enjoy this fruit in a drink.

Kokum sharbat is something you will be able to spot in so many spots. In Mumbai I saw it at all the canteens of colleges I went to, in restaurants and often in railway stations. Though we rarely indulged in these, we did gulp down glasses full of this at home.

Come summer, my mother would make large bottles of kokum concentrate syrup and refrigerate. It would make the perfect drink to enjoy after school for us and after work for the adults.

This is my fondest memory of kokum sharbat and making it today for my toddler is nothing but nostalgia. This is the exact recipe my mother would make. I made it when she was here some time back and now we enjoy it through the warm months. Having a bottle of the syrup in the refrigerator is perfect to whip up this bright colored drink in minutes.

Why this recipe works

• We only need a handful of ingredients to make this syrup and drink.
• The syrup comes together in under 15 minutes of active time.
• We can make a bright colored drink with just natural ingredients.
• The cooling properties of kokum shine in the recipe.
• The drink is great for kids and adults alike.
• Kokum Sharbat is a perfect drink for summers.
• The recipe is naturally Vegan.
• It is also gluten-free.
• It is easy to scale the recipe up or down.
• The syrup has a long shelf life of 6 months; when handled carefully.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Kokum: The recipe calls for kokum. Both, fresh and dried kokum work for the recipe. Fresh kokum can be used directly and dried ones need rehydration.

• Sugar: The syrup is made with sugar. It helps sweeten the syrup and drink. Using another sweetener is an option but sugar works best. It also helps balance the tartness of kokum.

• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice enhances the flavor of the drink, helps as a preservative and keeps the sugar from crystalizing. Though it is tart as well, I would not recommend skipping it.

• Seasonings: Salt, pepper powder, roasted cumin powder and rock salt are perfect to flavor the syrup. Further, some more ground roasted cumin is great to add to the drink.

• Water: We need water to soak the kokum, make the sugar syrup and the drink. Regular water works fine, we only need it to be hot to soak the kokum.

• Apart from these it is great to add some cardamom powder, ginger powder or club soda to the recipe.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

To make the kokum syrup

1- In a bowl add dried kokum.

2- Add hot water and soak the kokum covered for 2-3 hours. It is okay to soak them overnight too.

3- Once the kokum soaks well open the cover.

4- Add the kokum with the water to a blender.

5- Blend till the kokum is completely broken down.

6- Remove in a bowl and set aside.

7- In a thick bottom pan add water. Turn on the flame.

8- Add the sugar to the water and cook on medium flame.

9- Cook till the sugar melts and the syrup starts to form.

10- Add the kokum purée and continue to cook.

11- Once the syrup is thickening, add the seasonings.

12- Also add the lemon juice and mix well.

13- Cook for another 4-5 minutes till the syrup thickens further.

14- Turn down the flame and let the syrup cool down. Transfer to a clean bottle and store in the refrigerator.

To make the drink

1- Add ice cubes in a glass.

2- Then add 3 tablespoons of the prepared syrup.

3- Next add chilled water or soda.

4- Top with some mint leaves and enjoy.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Using the right kokum: Use fresh, semi-dried or dry kokum for the recipe. Make sure they are not salted else the syrup will be way too salty than sweet. The time and temperature of water required to rehydrate them varies based on type.

• Refrigerating the syrup: As we do not add any preservative in making this kokum syrup, it is essential to refrigerate it after making. This will ensure it stays fresh longer and does not spoil.

• Lemon Juice: Though kokum is naturally sour we also add some lemon juice to the recipe. This is because lemon is a natural preservative and it also keeps the sugar from crystalizing over time.

• Replacing Sugar: Jaggery is easy to use in the syrup instead of sugar. However, depending on the color of the jaggery, the syrup will also look different. Same goes for syrup made with brown sugar.

• Cooking the sugar: It is important to cook the sugar syrup but not make it super thick before adding the kokum. This is because sugar syrup is a natural preservative and keeps the syrup longer. Adding sugar and cooking the kokum with it will make the syrup but it will have a much shorter shelf life.

Storage and Serving

The cooked kokum syrup is easy to store in the refrigerator. Simply use a clean glass jar and transfer the syrup using a clean funnel. The syrup keeps well for up to 6 months.

Further, we can easily freeze the syrup in ice cube tray. Simply fill the cube tray and freeze. Then transfer to a freezer bag and store. Use to make sharbat, soda etc.

The kokum syrup is perfect to serve in many ways. Add it to chilled water or sparkling soda. Top with some roasted cumin powder and serve with some mint leaves.

Making the recipe with fresh Kokum

I have used semi dried kokum for the recipe. However, we can make the same recipe with fresh kokum too.

The fresh kokum is bright red in color and round. Simply cut the kokum in half, remove the seeds and pulp. Then process the kokum skins to a smooth paste and set aside.

In a pan cook the sugar syrup till thick and turn down the flame. Cool the sugar syrup and only then add the fresh kokum purée. We do not add the kokum to hot syrup. Then the resultant syrup is used the same way to prepare kokum sharbat.

Recipe FAQs

More Refreshing Drink Recipes