RAWALPINDI: With the summer settling in, the people of Rawalpindi are letting go of their hot drinks and even their iced cappuccinos for fresh fruit juices and milkshakes.

Nothing compares to a large glass of apple, mango strawberry or phalsa juice with crushed ice on a hot day. Some stall holders add in pieces of fruit to enhance the taste of the drink.

So popular are fresh fruit juices in Rawalpindi, that most lanes in the main bazaars of the city have at least one juice stall or shop as do most malls.

More than a dozen roadside kiosks have opened in Saddar, the main commercial hub of the cantonment.

Long time residents of the city prefer a shop on Haider Road, where they are sure the juices are hygienically produced and the shop is open morning to night.

Fresh fruit juices are also preferred because they do not require a lot of ingredients and can be easily made at home, unlike other desi drinks such as sherbets.

All one needs to do is wash fruit, toss it in a blender, add crushed ice and chilled water and blend.

However, to make phalsa juice, the berries are soaked in water for an hour, separated from its seed and then juiced in a blender with crushed ice, sugar and chilled water.

“We use fresh fruits in our juices and ensure they are made in a clean environment. The ingredients are simple and we do not use any preservatives,” said Usman Khalil Noor, owner of Tehzeeb Bakers, which now has a special juice corner.

He said fruit juices and milkshakes sell round the year at all of the bakery’s outlets.

He said a special team of the bakery’s staff has been constituted to check that the fruits used in juices are fresh.

‘We used imported condensed milk in our milkshakes which is why our milkshakes are different,” he said.

A customer in Saddar, Shahmeer Syed said he prefers fresh fruit juices to soft drinks.

“Carbonated drinks and juice packs are not healthy. It is better to have fresh fruits, especially as they are so easily available,” he said.

He says fresh fruit juices are also better as they are not stored and are made when ordered. The only thing to keep in mind is to get juice from a shop which is clean, he added.

“Fresh fruit juices are very easily made at home, but I come to have phalsa juice from the market”, said Mohammad Talha, a resident of Satellite Town.

There are no added sugars in fresh juices or preservatives and other chemicals, he said, adding that he had started having fresh fruit juices after he developed a kidney problem and doctors told him to have plenty of fluids.

A resident of Saddar, Yasir Ali said no drink can compare to fresh fruit juices.

“People were healthy in the past because they had fresh fruits and vegetables. People now have digestive problems because of carbonated drinks,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2017