It was called the ice-cream-cold-drink for years. Around every corner in Pune this version of an ice cream shake was slurped up. Layers of velvety yumminess, fruity melt-in-your-mouth goodness, translucent pieces of tutti-fruiti, crunchy pistachios and meaty almonds made for a ‘mast’ (alluring) drink. Thirty years ago a restaurant renamed it Mastani.
When two flavors, orange and pineapple were combined, a new drink was born. It was called, Mastani, named after the famous Princess of Bundelkhand, Mastani and her husband Peshwa Bajirao 1, the Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire under Chattrapati Sahuji.
Pineapple ice cream and pineapple pieces bob in orange flavored milk. The first sip through the straw brings a rush of delicious sweet pineapple syrup from the bottom. Mastani seems a royal name when compared to pina colada or fruit punch.
An eatery in Pune, “Sujata Mastani” sells over twenty flavors of the drink.
Recipe for Mango Mastani
Ingredients
2 cups of mango pulp
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
½ cup milk
½ cup of chopped cashews, pistachios
and almonds
3-4 chopped glazed cherries
Method:
Blend together the pulp, milk and 3 scoops of ice cream in a blender. Pour the thick shake into serving glasses.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the shake.
Sprinkle the nuts and glazed cherries on top.
Other options: This shake can be made with other fruits like sugar-apple (sitaphal) or sapodilla (chikoo)
Ritu Marwah is Social Media Editor at India Currents.