The heat is on. Karachians have begun to feel the heat and with the rise in the mercury levels, perhaps the time is right to discuss the array of popular drinks that can be found across this city to beat the heat.

As far as drinks go, the possibilities are quite endless. The thirsty Karachian has many choices, from the humdrum usual (fizzy drinks, rooh afza, limoo pani etc.,) to the traditional and exotic (aloo bukhara amla sherbet, made from plums and Indian gooseberries, as well as sattoo, made from powdered barley) and everything else in between.

In our continuing quest for the gastronomic truth, we have short-listed a few beverages that are not only affordable and within the reach of the proletarian Pakistani, but methinks they will surely help in cooling off the hot, bothered and thirsty citizens of this city in these sizzling days. Bottoms up!

Though there are supposedly all sorts of exotic spin-offs of the stuff available nowadays, there is nothing like a tall glass of plain old lassi in the summertime. And believe you me, I’ve had lassi all over this town, from the company cafeteria to a literal hole in the wall in Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s 13-D area (though they make some damn good lassi) that serves the yoghurt-based drink 24 hours a day.

But if you are in or around the Burnes Road area, a good place to satisfy your lassi fix would be a joint named after the province of Punjab that specializes in the drink.

As soon as you walk in, the pungent smell of yoghurt – not too different from the aromas emanating from your neighbourhood doodh wallah’s – greets you.

On a recent afternoon, this writer witnessed almost constant movement, with men, women and children coming in, downing a tall glass of frothy, ice-cold lassi, paying the chap at the counter and – seemingly satisfactorily refreshed – getting on with it.

Obviously, the place’s speciality is sweet lassi, with plenty of crushed ice and topped with a thick layer of malai, though this writer did not opt for the creamy addition.

The experience is all over in about two minutes. Licking your lips, wiping the froth from your mouth, you wonder what hit you. The heat is gone and you feel like you’re on cloud nine. This is the magic of lassi.

The place offers other drinks as well, such as salty lassi (blasphemous in my book. Even though it is considered the original form of lassi, I don’t see what the entire hullabaloo is about), as well as ice cold milk served in used cola bottles. This beverage is a marvellous, lighter alternative to lassi, sweetened and flavoured with crushed almonds. Matter of fact, downing two bottles if you’re especially thirsty is not unusual. There is also kastori milk, flavoured with eggs and saffron, though only available in winter.

But be forewarned: having lassi after lunch can be lethal (at least in the experience of this writer), especially if you have to get back to the office. If you intend to return to work after lunch, nix the lassi and instead have it before or way after a meal.

Another delightful summer drink this writer has come across is tarbooz ka sherbet. What this concoction is, is basically a glass of rooh afza, or some other red-coloured sweet drink, with plenty of watermelon slices swimming about within. If you’re feeling extremely hot and want a light, refreshing drink, this stuff hits the spot. It is found – as long as watermelons are in season – sold from pushcarts across the city.

Though the taste of rooh afza is familiar to many taste-buds, the beautiful, slushy texture of watermelon, along with a bit of crushed ice, will be a tantalizingly new experience for gastronomic adventurers. But if you have issues of hygiene (very genuine, one must say) with food/drinks sold from push-carts, try making this beverage at home.

Of course, there are other potent potions for quenching your thirst during summer as well. Fresh seasonal fruit juices sold in countless establishments across Karachi sure beat the living daylights out of the stuff that comes out of a bottle/cardboard box. Fresh orange juice, topped with a bit of salty masala, deserves special mention here, as does gannay ka rus (sugarcane juice).

Milk shakes and fruit shakes can also be delightful. With mango season fast approaching, perhaps one avatar of the ‘king of fruits’ that must be had is mango milkshake, which, one can say, is divine.

Though I am an absolute sucker for chocolate milkshakes, it is very easy to go wrong here, as many shops make a hash of it. Bitter tasting and incredibly greasy chocolate shakes definitely don’t work.

At the high-end joints there are a variety of interesting beverages on offer, such as ‘mocktails’ and cold, iced coffees. Some of this stuff can be damn good. Some tastes like expensive sugar water.

With so many sweet nectars that abound, citizens might be spoilt for choice. Though Karachi might not exactly have flowing rivers of milk and honey, the stuff available isn’t half bad.