With a climate as varied and extreme as India, the people require a myriad of options to keep their thirst appropriately quenched according to the weather conditions, varying from steaming hot drinks during winters to frosty cold drinks in summers. Different regions in the country serve drinks made with an eclectic assortment of ingredients including local spices, flavors and herbs. Available on the streets, as well as on the menus of posh hotels, these drinks add to the flavorful cuisine of India.
Consumption statistics by drink type
This is the consumption of drinks per capita per year in India in 2021 by drink type excluding water and juices.
Assorted drinks
Aam panna – made from raw mango
Aamras
Bael panna
Banta soda, carbonated lemonade sold in codd-neck bottle
Buransh – made from rhododendron flowers with jelly like consistency, Uttarakhand
Doodh Soda
Ela neeru / karikku – tender coconut water
Fuljar soda – carbonated drink made using crushed chillies, ginger, mint leaves and spice mix
Fruit juice
Gaajar ka doodh – made from grated carrot and sweetened milk
Ganne ka ras or sugarcane juice
Gud-nimbu sharbat – made of lemon and jaggery
Jal-jeera
Jigarthanda, famous in Madurai
Kahwah is common drink in cold regions of Jammu and Kashmir
Kala Khatta
Kanji
Kesar kasturi
Khas Khas drink – made from poppy seeds
Khus sharbat – made from Vetiver syrup
Kokum sharbat
Kulukki sharbat – shaken Lemonade
Liyo
Nimbu Paani (Lemonade)
Nannaari (Sarsaparilla) sharbat – lemon-based drink, Tamil Nadu
Nariyal Pani (Coconut water)
Neera
Ookali – hot drink made by boiling coriander seeds, Western India
Panakam – Beverage made of jaggery and lemon juice, traditionally served on Rama Navami.
Paneer soda, carbonated lemonade mixed with rose essence and sold in codd-neck bottle is a variation of Banta soda
Phalsa sharbat – made from Grewia asiatica
Pudina sharbat – made from mint
Ramula – a drink made from sweet potato
Rasna, a soft drink concentrate
Rooh Afza, a concentrated drink
Sakar-loung Pani – made from rock sugar and clove; famous in Gujarat, Rajasthan
Sattu paani – famous in North India
Saunf paani, from Gujarat
Sharbat – drink that has many variants
Shikanjvi – traditional lemonade, often mildly spicy
Solkadhi
Sugandha water
Tanka Toraaṇi – a rice based drink from Odisha
Dairy drinks
Flavoured milk
Badam milk – almond-flavoured milk
Kesar milk – saffron-flavoured milk
Rose milk – Rose syrup – flavoured milk
Sugandha milk
Milk-based beverages
Ambil or Ambli – prepared by using ragi flour and buttermilk, Maharashtra and Karnataka
Buttermilk – Lassi or Laasi in North India, chhachh or Chaas or Chaah in North India, mor in Tamil, majjiga in Telugu, majjige in Kannada, and taak in Marathi
Chai with cream – prepared using dry or fresh variants of tea, often has hints of cardamom (elaichi), cinnamon (dalchini) or a mixture of spices, which constitute the special masala chai, taken especially during the cold to keep the winter-related problems at bay
Doodh soda – mixture of milk and lemon-lime soda
Haldi doodh or hot turmeric milk
Lassi – a popular, traditional, yogurt-based drink from Northern India. It is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes fruit.
Traditional lassi (a.k.a., "salted lassi", or simply "lassi") is a savoury drink, sometimes flavoured with ground and roasted cumin.
Sweet lassi, however, contains sugar or fruits, instead of spices. Banarasi Lassi: Varanasi, one of the prominent cities of Bhojpur region is known for special variation of Lassi, popularly known as Banarasi Lassi'. The Curd for Banarasi Lassi is made with reduced milk which gives it a creamy & thick texture. It is then sweetened, churned and served with generous blob of Rabdi in earthen pots called Kulhads.
Mastaani, Pune
Sharjah Shake – A sweet, cold beverage made from milk, Horlicks/other malt powders and njalipoovan. Sometimes, ice cream, cocoa powder or nuts may be added.
Sambaram – Salted buttermilk made from cow's milk spiced with shallot, freen chili pepper, ginger and curry leaves from Kerala
Thandai
Hot drinks
Both tea and coffee contain caffeine and tannin. Comparatiely, coffee has more caffeine and less tannin than tea, whereas tea has more tannin and less caffeine than coffee.
Coffee
Indian filter coffee – a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans (70–80%) and chicory (20–30%)
Instant coffee
Tea
Assam tea
Ayurvedic teas, various types of Indian herbal teas
Temi tea
Darjeeling tea
Balma green tea
Berinag tea
Black tea
Green tea
Seven-colour tea
Irani chai
Kangra tea
Masala chai
Noon chai
Nilgiri tea
Tulsi tea
Milk tea
Flavoured tea
Butter tea
Elaichi tea or cardamom tea
Ginger tea
Lemon tea
Tejpatta Tea
Intoxicating drinks
Traditional
The alphabetised list of native traditional drinks is as follows:
Akani- palm sap from Tamil Nadu.
Apo – traditional drink from Arunachal Pradesh made from fermented rice
Arrack-distilled from a wash of palm Jagger, herbs etc. from Kerala
Bangla – a distilled country liquor made from starch and sold in West Bengal by government licensed vendors.
Bhang thandai
Bhang lassi – prepared from leaves and buds of female cannabis plant
Bitchi – a drink consumed mostly by Garo tribals
Chhaang or Tongba – drink from Sikkim made from grain millet
Cholai
Chuak – a drink from Tripura made from rice, jackfruit and pineapple
Desi daru
Feni – an alcoholic beverage made from cashew apple or coconut in Goa
Gudamaba – brewed from sugar cane in Hyderabad
Handia – rice beer popularly consumed in Jharkhand
Hariya
Kaid Um – drink in Meghalaya, consumed mostly by Khasi and Jaintia tribes
Kallu – coconut palm sap from Kerala
Kodo Ko Jaanr – also known as chyang, prepared from finger millet
Laopani (also called Haanj) – made from fermented rice in Assam, concentrated extract is called Rohi.
Lugdi – made from rice, Manali
Mahua – made from mahua flowers, Central India
Mandia pej – made from ragi powder and stale water from boiled rice, popular in Odissa
Manri – made from fermented rice, popular in Mithila
Pendhā
Rohi – pale yellow coloured extract of Laopani fermented rice drink of Assam, usually offered to the ancestors, priests or elders on special occasions.
Sekmai – from the state of Manipur; made from sticky rice.
Sonti
Sulai
Sunda Kanji – made from fermenting rice that is buried in earthen or mud pots covered with cloth, sold in Tamil Nadu, India.
Sura
Thaati Kallu
Tharra
Thuthse
Toddy/Tadi/Kallu (palm wine)
Urrak
Zawlaidi – popular in Mizoram prepared from rice, millet and maize.
Zutho – from Nagaland
Non-Traditional
Alphabetised list of non-traditional drinks in India.
Indian beer
Indian brandy
Indian-made foreign liquor
Indian rum
Indian vodka
Indian whisky
Indian wine
Lion beer, Asia's first beer brand produced at Kasauli Brewery since 1930, brewery was established by Edward Abraham Dyer, father of Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer "The Butcher of Jallianwala Bagh massacre".
Old Monk, well-known rum produced since 1954.
Solan No. 1, India's first single malt whiskey produced at Kasauli Brewery since 1930 which was started by Edward Abraham Dyer.