THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The demand for summer drinks has gone up as the mercury level continue to rise in the state capital. A slew of flavoured ‘Sarbath’, which is prepared using natural ingredients, is a big hit among the public. Way side vendors are selling Sarbaths like hot cakes as people are thronging at these shops to relish these unique drinks to beat the heat. Kulukki Sarbath, Naruneendi Sarbath are some of the drinks on high demand.
Vimala D, who has been in the business for the past 16 years, sells a wide range of Sarbath including ‘kulukki’ sarbath, fruit sarbath, guava sarbath, pineapple sarbath. The price of Sarbaths ranges from Rs 20 to Rs 25. “Tea sale has gone down drastically and everybody wants something cool to quench their thirst. Sarbath is on high demand,” said Vimala, who runs a small shop opposite to the VJT Hall at Palayam.
Cola and other artificial soft drinks have taken a back seat with natural sarbaths gaining popularity among city folks. While it was the medicinal value of Naruneedi plant that prompted Mohammad Siddique to become the wholesale dealer of Naruneendi roots and syrup. “Naruneendi sy-rup with fresh lime juice is the hot favo-urite at several outlets in the city. This drink cools not only the body but also the mind,” said Mohammad Sidheek, who sells one of the popular Naruneendi syrup brands in the market.
According to Jahana Sidheek, wife of Mohammad Siddique, who supervises the production of the Naruneendi Sarbath said that it’s less adulterated and has immense medicinal properties. A 750ml of Naruneendi Sarbath cost Rs 60.
