Shaken and stirred

They are light, refreshing and you can have ‘em any time of the day, since, except in one case, they have no alcohol at all. Four wise men across the country who know how to mix some mean cocktails, whip up four smart summer coolers for you.

Citrus Fizz

Ingredients
Orange slices: 4-5
Sweet lime wedges: 4-5
Lemon: 1
Powdered sugar: 1 teaspoon

Method: Mix all the ingredients together. Put a scoop of crushed ice and shake.

Pour in a glass. Add more crushed ice. The ingredients should be sufficient to fill up half a glass. Fill up the rest with soda or Sprite. Garnish with orange slices and mint leaves.

Recommended by: Rishi Raj Singh, F&B Manager, Sheraton New Delhi Hotel

24 Carat Bengal

Ingredients
Fresh wood apple pulp (130 ml)
Jaggery: 100 gm
Gandharaj lemon: 1

Method: Begin by removing the seeds from the wood apple pulp. Blend it with jaggery and ice cubes and freeze it. Pour into a glass. Add a dash of freshly squeezed gandharaj lemon juice to the mix. Garnish it with a wood apple leaf and a gandharaj lemon slice.

Recommended by: Sudipto Bhandari, Senior Bartender, Dublin, ITC The Sonar, Kolkata

Guava Punch

Ingredients
Guava juice: 130-160 ml
Tabasco sauce: 3-4 drops
Lemon juice: 130 ml

Method: Add lots of ice to the guava juice and top it up with some lemonade. Add 3-4 drops of Tabasco sauce to make it a little spicy and enhance the colour. Garnish with mint leaves.

Recommended by: Grenville Pereira, Head, Cocktails and Dreams, Mumbai

French Fizz

Ingredients
Vodka: 60 ml
Fresh lime: 10 ml
Cranberry juice: 90 ml
Orange juice: 90 ml
Soda

Method: Start with the vodka and top up with the cranberry, orange and lime juices into the glass. Ideally, the juices should be freshly squeezed, but cold. Top up with soda and lots of ice.

This is a soda-based cocktail, so it can’t be shaken. Serve with canapés, to complement the colourless vodka, and garnish with a slice of orange.

Recommended by: Harry Arokiaswamy, Head Bartender, Blue Bar, Taj West End, Bangalore