Bandung is a popular drink found at the street stalls in Malaysia and served at weddings with dishes like rending. It’s extremely refreshing on a hot day and is a gorgeous, fragrant accompaniment for a hot, spicy meal.

YOU NEED

½ cup of fresh pitted dates, roughly chopped

¼ cup of water

Plus 200ml of cold water

400ml of Bonsoy organic soy milk

½ – ¾ teaspoon of rosewater essence

Natural pink food colouring

YOU DO

Put the dates and the 1/4 cup of water into a small bowl for an hour to soak. Once the dates have softened, blend them with the soaking water, then strain the liquid so that it is smooth. Put aside any date mixture that is too thick to strain and use it in another recipe, (eg: a smoothie)

Put the remaining ingredients, the date sweetened water and a few drops of natural food colouring together into a jug and whisk to combine. Place the jug in the freezer until the milk is chilled.

Serve in chilled glasses with lots of ice.

Yields: 2 large or 4 small serves

Time: 5 minutes preparation. 1 hour soaking time. 2 hours for chilling.

Notes:  Bandung is traditionally made using sugar syrup. But by sweetening it with dates instead of castor sugar, you gain vital vitamins, minerals and fibre and still end up with a very sweet, refreshing Bandung style beverage.

I use a brand of food colour called Hopper which contains fruits and vegetables. It is available in select health food stores.

YOU NEED

2 litres of water

1/3 cup of agave syrup

2 cloves

1 star anise

1 large cinnamon quill

1 mango, peeled and seed removed

1 green apple, core removed

1 pear, core removed

½ a small pineapple, core removed

1 orange

3 prickly pears, peeled

Handful  of walnuts

Handful  of raisins

4 hibiscus flowers

Soda water to taste

#optional – rum or tequila to taste

#optional – fresh sugar cane

Handful of fresh washed mint

YOU DO

Place the first 5 ingredients into a large pot and bring them to the boil. Then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.

Chop all the fruit into any shape you wish and add them all to the pot. Add the walnuts, raisins and hibiscus flowers. Allow the punch to cool and refrigerate until chilled.

Ladle chilled punch into serving glasses. Add a splash of soda water and some rum or tequila, to taste (if you are using alcohol).

Very carefully cut the fresh sugar cane into sticks. Garnish the serving glasses with fresh sugar cane sticks and fresh mint leaves.

Notes: Ponche is traditionally made by cooking the syrup along with all the fruit for a much longer period of time and then served warm. This recipe has been created to suit hot summers day with chilled punch and firmer fruits.

If you don’t have agave you can use pure maple syrup.

You can purchase prickly pear from specialty fruit and vegetable stores. Otherwise simply substitute for another tropical fruit.

You can purchase hibiscus flowers in syrup at liquor shops and specialty supermarkets. If you cannot find it, simply omit it from the recipe.

You can purchase fresh sugar cane from Asian fruit and vegetable grocers.

This is so refreshing for long hot days out on the deck. My passion for food has very much extended itself to a passion for creating drinks. I adore making drinks that are served loaded with the fragrance of herbs and/or fruit. Nothing accompanies beautiful food more than a beautiful beverage. Don’t overlook the entirety of a food event, if you want to make an impression.

I am not normally a sour or a cherry fan but when I spotted some sour cherry juice recently I had to try it. If unlike me you are a sour fan, you may wish to add less pure maple syrup and if you are after an even quicker recipe you could just add lemonade. I just prefer knowing how much sweetener I am drinking and also prefer pure maple syrup.

YOU NEED

100mls of sour cherry juice

1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup

100mls of soda water

ice

cherries for garnish

#optional – a splash of vodka

YOU DO

Mix the sour cherry juice, maple syrup and soda water. Fill a glass ½ to ¾ with ice. Pour in your cherry soda mix, Garnish with some fresh cherries and serve.

Yields: 1 serve

#Next time I may even freeze some cherries into my ice blocks <3