'Aam Panna' A 'Natural Coolant' Make Summer Tolerable

Aam Panna is what makes the long and sultry days of the Indian summer tolerable. Marisha Karwa guzzles a few glasses of the tangy, sweet drink made with raw mangoes to get some respite from the heat.

Mangoes are synonymous with the Indian summer. Come April, and markets around the country bask in the glow of this luscious, pulpy fruit. The lucky ones, who fork out a wad of currency to get their hands on the early harvest, seldom miss the opportunity to brag about how delicious the season's mangoes are.

Fortunately, life is not a race about who eats mangoes first. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or, in the case of raw mangoes, make panna — the oh-so-refreshing drink that is a summer staple in most Indian homes. In the off chance that your kitchen is devoid of this summer coolant, fret not. There are very many places where you can down a glass of this tangy, sweet drink.

For those ruing the closure of Cafe Samovar, which used to serve delicious aam panna, take heart. You can now head to Kitab Khaana in the vicinity, order your drink and flash a smile at the sun. If you stretch your drive a bit more, then Soam, at Chowpatty, will give you a glass of greenish panna, adorned with a thin slice of raw mango. The drink (Rs.140) bursts with the flavour of raw mango and cumin, but is also loaded with mint, taking it closer to being a cocktail than a classic panna.

For a true taste of the beverage, head to the heart of Mumbai's original commercial hub, Girgaum, and stop at Vinayak Keshav. Metres away from the church, this 1921 grocery store, that sells everything from puran polis to chivda, offers panna concentrate as well as small (Rs.15) and large (Rs.30) servings of fresh panna. The sweet golden-yellow drink has just the right amount of tanginess.

If you'd like to savour your panna, then just cross the road and grab a seat at Panshikar, the trusty haunt for authentic Maharashtrian fare. A sip of Panshikar's delicious-to-the-last-drop panna (Rs.30) is all it takes to be transported from the bustle on the street outside to the cool climes of an imaginary hill station. The panna here is indeed that cooling. Panshikar also has outposts in Dadar and Bandra Kurla Complex so you can down your summer special beverage without dodging the crowd at Girgaum.

Another eatery that does justice to panna and where you will also find patrons waiting in queues for a table is Ladoo Samrat in Parel. The panna here is thick and filled with the tartness of raw mangoes. And at Rs.25 for a glass, it is the best value-for-money deal I found in the city. 

Not far away from Ladoo Samrat, are the triumvirate that hold the mantle high for Maharashtrian snacks in the city — Prakash, Aaswad and Gypsy Corner. The panna at Prakash (Rs.30) is worth every step it takes to get there from the bustling Dadar station. The glass at Aaswad (Rs 58) has threads of pulp but is worth a try.