Saffron Limeade

Kesar limbo paani, if you're feeling fancy about it.

Photo and recipe Credit to Living Roots USA

Somewhere between a spritzer and a love letter, this drink takes saffron out of the rice bowl and puts it where it maybe belongs all along: in a glass, with ice, doing absolutely nothing but looking gorgeous. Tart lime keeps it from being precious. A few threads of saffron make it look like sunset happened in your kitchen.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice

• ¾ cup water

• 1 cup sugar (or honey, if you're feeling virtuous)

• 5–10 saffron threads

• 1 tsp grated lime zest (optional, but it earns its keep)

• Club soda or cold water, for serving

• Ice

Instructions

1. Build the syrup. Combine the water, sugar, and lime zest in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then take it off the heat — this isn't a marathon.

2. Let the saffron do its thing. Stir the threads into the hot syrup and walk away for 10–15 minutes. This is where the color shows up. Don't rush it; saffron doesn't respond well to being rushed.

3. Strain and cool. Once it's not lava-hot anymore, strain out the threads and stir in the lime juice.

4. Pour and dilute. A few tablespoons of syrup over ice, topped with club soda or cold water.

5. Adjust to taste — more syrup for sweet, more soda for something you can drink on a Tuesday afternoon without regret.

Recipe adapted from Saloni Kukreja's saffron-lime drink — go give @salonikukreja a follow, her feed is a menace to your grocery budget.