Cheers! Here’s to Summer with Mirchina!

Serves 2 to 4

This drink takes me back to my early childhood days when Mirchina was the ‘forbidden fruit’…. simply because it was too spicy for us kids. It is a nonalcoholic drink that can either be served as an aperitif or a digestif.

There are some famous ‘cold drink shops’ in India which serve ice cream, soft drinks and nonalcoholic cocktails. Mirchina was served by one such famous place. While we kids enjoyed ice cream, that green colored drink always enticed me.

So this is my attempt to recreate Mirchina. Mirchi/ Mirch is chili pepper. I used serrano but you can use a milder one. Chili pepper is known for its benefit of boosting metabolism. I combined it with the goodness of fresh ginger, mint leaves, fresh lime juice and honey, each well known for it’s health benefits. You can muddle the chili, ginger and mint or blend it in a blender. I add sparkling water and sea salt to serve it as an aperitif. To serve as a digestif, I also top it with a lemony soft drink, which makes it a little sweeter.

Of course, now after making it myself, I realize that the tantalizing green of the Mirchina I saw as a child was  due to the added food coloring 🙂

But this Mirchina tastes very refreshing and the ginger and chili pepper add a kick to it. Do you think this would be an Indian version of Mojito? I am a novice when it comes to cocktails, so do let me know if you think an alcoholic version of Mirchina would be fun! What kind of spirit would you add to the Mirchina?

Ingredients-

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated

• 1 or 2 thin slices of green chili pepper. I used serrano pepper

• 10 to 12 fresh mint leaves

• 2 tablespoons honey

• Juice of 2 limes

• A pinch of sea salt

• 2 cups sparkling water

• Lemony soft drink to top (optional)

• Ice cubes /crushed ice to serve 

Procedure-

1. Blend or muddle the grated ginger, chili pepper and the mint leaves.
2. Add the honey, lime juice and sea salt and mix well.
3. Add the 2 cups of sparkling water. Serve over ice as an aperitif.
4. To serve as a digestif, top each glass with the lemony soft drink of your choice.

Cheers!

Sandhya