Refreshing summer drink – sweet and spicy shaken lemonade Kulukki Sarbath, a specialty from Kerala with step-wise picture recipe!
After a really busy work week, I am back with a simple yet really refreshing summer cool drink – Kulukki Sarbath. This is a sweet and spicy lemonade that is shaken before being poured out onto a large glass tumbler. I have only had lemonade all my life and to be honest, I am not even a fan. During one of our very many trips we take to Kerala (we love the God’s own country), we tried Kulukki Sarbath for the first time and we fell in love with it. It has taken me almost a year and half to make this recipe at home, even though it is very simple and easy.
The list of ingredients in Kerala special Kulukki Sarbath are simple – lemon juice, sweet basil seeds (sabja seeds), green chillies, ginger bits, sugar and ice cubes. The term Kulukki literally means shaken and Sarbath means juice. So, all these ingredients are added into a shaker and shaken until the flavors are well incorporated. The sweet basil seeds come with a lot of health benefits apart from acting as a great coolant, helpful especially during hot summers. If you are someone like me, who doesn’t like plain lemonade, then this recipe is for you. It is spicy, thanks to the bits of ginger and slit green chillies used. We made a big batch of this and kept sipping on all through the weekend. Check out the other summer recipes too!
How to make Kulukki Sarbath | Sweet and Spicy Shaken Lemonade –

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 5 minutes |
Servings |
people
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- 2 cups Ice Cold Water
- 1/2 Lemon
- 2 Lemon Slices
- 1 Small Green Chilli Slitted
- 1/4 tsp Finely Chopped Ginger
- 1 tsp Sweet Basil Seeds/Sabja Seeds
- Few Ice Cubes
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
Ingredients
For Sugar Syrup –
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- First soak the sabja seeds/sweet basil seeds in enough water for 10-20 mins. It would become jelly like.
- To make the sugar syrup, add sugar and water into a pot. Keep heating the sugar syrup for 5-7 mins on low flame until it is sticky. Remove from heat and cool it down completely.
- To make Kulukki Sarbath - add sugar syrup, ice cold water, juice from half a lemon, lemon slices, slit green chillies, finely chopped ginger and ice cubes to a shaker with lid. I used a simple stainless steel container with tight lid. Shake it well for 10-20 secs.
- Pour out the Kulukki Sarbath into the serving glasses. Serve immediately.
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Kulukki Sarbath | Sweet and Spicy Shaken Lemonade –
1. First soak the sabja seeds/sweet basil seeds in enough water for 10-20 mins. It would become jelly like.
2. To make the sugar syrup, add sugar and water into a pot. Keep heating the sugar syrup for 5-7 mins on low flame until it is sticky. Remove from heat and cool it down completely.
3. To make Kulukki Sarbath – add sugar syrup, ice cold water, juice from half a lemon, lemon slices, slit green chillies, finely chopped ginger to a shaker with tight lid.
4. Add soaked sweet basil seeds next.
5. Finally add ice cubes to it. Shake it well for 10-20 secs.
6. Pour out the Kulukki Sarbath into the serving glasses. Serve immediately.
Note –
- Adjust sugar quantity as per sweetness preferred.
- Make sure to use an airtight container, otherwise there will be spillage/leakage while shaking 🙂 I used a simple stainless steel container with tight lid.
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