The aroma of mogra flowers mixed with the earthy petrichor of terracotta feels like a sip of heaven. Imagine you are sipping a clear liquid with loads of crushed ice and a mild yet potent aroma of mogra engulfs your senses as the drink descends down your throat. You can replace mogra with white rose or damask rose, screw-pine, sandalwood or even a spice like clove or cardamom — these naturally perfumed drinks are fit for royalty.
I am talking about the real sherbets I discovered at Chunnilal Tanwar’s shop in Bikaner. One sip of any of these sherbets will have you hooked, and you will end up discovering your favourite within a matter of minutes. That is the power of real flavour coming from essential oils extracted skilfully from aromatic botanicals and then blended artfully into a sherbet like this.
Earlier this summer I was in Bikaner, a city known for its royal heritage and grandeur. I discovered Chunnilal sherbet at the new luxury hotel Narendra Bhavan, which has taken the onus of patronising art, culture and cuisine to encourage local artisans. Once I got a whiff of Chunnilal’s safed gulab and bela sherbets at Narendra Bhavan, the hotel I was staying at, I had to go and meet him at his shop at Jail Road, braving the summer heat of Bikaner.
But the treasure trove of cool stuff was a reward well worth it. Chunnilal’s little shop is almost eight decades old. Established in 1939 this shop has been doing business the same old way since then.
Old method, new way
The packaging has changed to plastic bottles, the ice crushing machine and a water filter has replaced the matka water but the terracotta glasses have remained the same, the process of making the sherbets still has that vintage appeal and the pride in serving these sherbets has grown by leaps and bounds.
The shop is now owned by Vidhan Tanwar, the son of Chunnilal Tanwar, who is an avid reader of Ayurvedic texts apart from translations of world literature.
While talking to Vidhan, I realised he is absolutely content with what he is doing and takes pride in keeping traditions alive. He sells about 300 or more bottles of sherbet in a day during peak season, but there is barely any business during winters.
The price of one bottle of sherbet ranges from ₹120 to ₹400, and each bottle makes about 15-25 servings depending on how sweet you like your beverage.
Evidently, real ingredients don’t make the product expensive, a concern many food and beverage manufacturers express when asked about the reasons for making chemical laden foods. Vidhan smiles when I ask him what he does during the off season, and says he likes reading Indian literature and translations of world literature.
His favourite is Bhavprakash Nighantu , the essence of Ayurveda that enriches his knowledge about his product as well. He goes on to enumerate the medicinal properties of all the sherbets he serves.
Chunnilal sherbets are made only with essential oils and extracts and have no colour at all. Only his khas sherbet and kesar badam are coloured — khas having added edible colour and he mentions this is one flavour where he has compromised on his principle of keeping the sherbets chemical free.
Keeping it natural
The consumer demand is the biggest driving force and I am glad that Vidhan has held his ground firmly, using only essential oils as flavouring agents. His sherbets fill your glasses with an intense aroma and flavour.
He sources his essential oils from across the country, the gulab comes from Kannauj, khas from Raebareli, kewda from Odisha, spices from Kerala and so on. Using these essential oils he makes the infused sherbet syrup himself. He sells the sherbets by the glass at his shop too ranging from ₹20 to ₹50 per glass.
This cost analysis busts the myth that real food costs more than the chemical based flavours.
The art of perfumery and essential oils has flourished in the country since ages, the oldest essential oil distilleries are reported to be from Kannauj and Ajmer. The essential oils from flowers, roots and spices were called ark and were used for making Ayurvedic medicines, attar or ittar and was used in food and beverages in the royal kitchens as well.
No wonder the late Chunnilal chose these arks (essential oils) to make his sherbets as Bikaner has always been a place where royalty and rich merchants patronised arts and culture, as is clearly evident from the display at the Junagadh Fort Museum in the city.
Bikaner being located on the trade routes, famous for its intricately carved havelis and massive forts, would have been the perfect connoisseur for these exotic flavours sourced from across the country.
The perfumed sherbets of Chunnilal Tanwar have helped preserve the eclectic artistry of the food world I believe. The way they use the essential oils of flowers, roots and spices to make the sherbets free of preservatives or colours is remarkable in today’s world where flavoured water and carbonated drinks have become the new normal choice of beverages. The ancient culinary arts have better solutions for quenching thirst when compared to the flavoured waters of the world for sure.
