Tamarind Black Salt Wake-Up

Tamarind has a rounded, dark-fruit sourness, and black salt adds a distinctly savory edge that ordinary table salt doesn't reproduce. The amount is deliberately tiny; more can make the drink taste strongly sulfurous. Lime adds a cleaner, sharper note at the finish. Dissolve everything thoroughly before tasting, then decide whether the optional sugar would improve the balance. This is an adventurous flavor combination in an easy recipe, particularly appealing if you enjoy tart drinks more than sweet ones.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp Unsweetened tamarind concentrate
• 8 oz Cold water
• 1/8 oz Lime juice
• 0 tsp Food-grade black salt (kala namak)
• 1 tsp Sugar (optional)

Make it

1. Mix the tamarind concentrate with 2 tablespoons of the measured water until smooth.
2. Stir in the remaining water, lime juice, black salt and optional sugar until dissolved.
3. Serve cold. Begin with less tamarind if your concentrate is particularly strong.

Benefits

Tamarind and lime · refreshing fluids

The water does a simple, useful job in this tamarind and lime combination: it contributes to hydration while stretching a deep sweet-sour tang into a full drink.

A different side of lime

There is a lively citrus tang from the measured lime in the tamarind mixture, giving that ingredient a place without drowning out the other flavors.