Four Easy-Peasy Drinkable Desserts To Cool You Off

There are summer days when the thought of turning on the oven feels almost offensive. That doesn’t mean you should skip your sweets! Here are four quick and cool liquid desserts that make a perfect post-dinner—or midday—treat.

Strawberry Rose Falooda

The first time I tried this electric pink noodle dessert-meets-ice cream sundae was at Bombay Bhel restaurant in Mississauga, Ont., when I was a child. What a delight: the slip of cold noodles, the crunch of black basil seeds, and whole milk and vanilla ice cream to mix it all together. While rose syrup is commonly used in falooda, you can swap it for strawberry syrup if you wish. Get this falooda recipe.

Sharbat ’e Sekanjabin (Persian Mint Shrub)

If you’re a fan of lemonade, you’ll love this sweet-tart-minty Persian drink. (In northern India, a different variation of the flavoured simple syrup is known as shikanji and prepared with lemon and savoury spices.) The amount of vinegar you add to the syrup will determine its level of tartness; feel free to adjust to your taste. Get this Persian mint shrub recipe.

Hwachae

While it has roots in Korean cuisine that go back centuries, hwachae, which roughly translates to “flower drink,” is wildly popular right now thanks to a wave of viral TikToks. This version, which mixes milk and carbonated soda, needs to be served immediately—the milk solids will split if you let it sit too long. Get this hwachae recipe.

Produced by Sun Ngo; photography by Christie Vuong; food styling by Sage Dakota; prop styling by Rayna Schwartz.

Mangonada

Even if you’re serving a batch of this Mexican slushy on your teensy patio, everything about it screams beach: it’s sweet, sour, a little spicy and extremely refreshing. Get this mangonada recipe.