The drop in temperature last week has definitely given Delhiites much-needed respite from the unbearable heat. Unfortunately, this joy may be fairly short-lived; recent data compiled by the India Meteorological Department states that the Capital’s maximum temperature is set to rise to 41 degrees today. When the country experienced the heatwave, people turned to the classic summer dessert—ice cream. One can’t deny that, in this scorching heat, there is no better treat than a refreshing tub of ice cream. However, regular flavours such as vanilla and chocolate are rather passé. Thankfully, a number of artisanal brands are giving this cold dessert a makeover by introducing unique and indigenous flavours. We speak to a few homegrown ice cream brands that are reinventing this dessert by either incorporating seasonal fruits, spices, and even balsamic vinegar.
Spicing up recipes tastefully
Founded in 2017 by 38-year-old Shilpi Bhargava (right in the image below) and Pawan Jambagi (41), Jaatre Ice Cream has introduced a range of specialty ice creams that are made with natural ingredients such as palm sugar and jaggery, along with local and seasonal fruits. Aside from traditional flavours, their menu also has a special section titled ‘Two of a Kind’—it features a unique mix of flavours ranging from cardamom and black pepper, fig and balsamic vinegar, palm jaggery and sesame seeds, etc. “Our aim is to create a palette that the customer will relate to and, at the same time, experience a fresh take on different ingredients,” says Jambagi.
WHERE: jaatreicecream.com and Meherchand Market, Lodhi Colony
PRICE: Rs 150 per scoop
A healthy, tasty experiment
Madhusudan Parikh (60) from Gurugram decided to switch to a healthier lifestyle amid the pandemic. “There is a myth that healthy ingredients cannot be tasty. I wanted to take the thought out of people’s minds that ice creams can only have Western flavours,” says Parikh. This resulted in him launching Artiste, an artisanal ice cream brand, in 2020. “Our motto is to majorly use ingredients that have certain health benefits. That way, having an ice cream becomes a healthy affair,” he shares. Of the different categories their menu is divided into, the ‘Vedic Range’ features an interesting blend of ingredients with flavours such as tulsi, ginger, nutmeg; rose and saffron; honey and turmeric; etc.
WHERE: artistes.in and in Artiste store across Delhi-NCR
PRICE: Rs 145 per scoop; Rs 600+ per 150ml tub
Highlighting the flavours of ‘Dilli’
With a base kitchen in Lajpat Nagar, Cold Love Ice Cream has been in the ice cream churning business since 2019. Founder Aditya Tripathi (53) and his team love to experiment with ingredients that are usually not associated with the cold dessert. The one flavour that stands out is the ‘Delhi 6 Special’ conceptualised by Michelin star-chef Suvir Saran and chef Vardaan Marwah. The dessert features a unique blend of ingredients: a tangy raita ice cream, topped with a mint chutney sorbet and tamarind chutney. “Part of the fun is that one can keep trying to create these various flavour profiles,” mentions Tripathi. For Eid, they made an ice cream version of the ‘Mohabbat ka Sharbat’.
WHERE: coldlove.in and in Cold Love stores across Delhi-NCR
PRICE: Rs 200 per scoop; Rs 550 per 500ml tub
Putting the ‘art’ in artisanal
Anant Verma (49) from Gurugram ventured into the ice cream space with the aim of increasing the popularity of artisanal ice creams among the Indian audience. To fulfil his dream, he started Emoi-Artisanal Ice Cream, he started Emoi-Artisanal Ice Creams and Gelato in 2017. Verma’s brand—their main production happens in Okhla—boasts a range of flavours across scoops, tubs, and sticks. They also experiment with many traditional flavours, one of which is the turmeric latte. “We have all grown up hearing of the health benefits of turmeric. The idea to experiment with the ingredient came from that,” shares Verma. While this is not part of the brand’s retail menu currently, they regularly customise orders according to customer preferences.
WHERE: emoilove.com and in Emoi stores across Delhi-NCR
PRICE: Rs 75 for one scoop or stick; Rs 325 to Rs 425 per 450ml tub