Jamun Shots

Jamun is a blackish purple coloured tropical fruit and abundantly available in the Indian subcontinent during summers. It is known by various names like Malabar Jamun, Java Plum, Black Plum, Jambolan, Naaval Pazham etc.

Jamun has a sweet and slightly sour taste with an acidic or astringent note. It can be eaten raw as a fruit, or made into juice or jam. When eaten as is, it is popularly served with some salt or kalanamak to balance the acidity in the fruit. Jamun fruit is commonly available in the villages of India and nowadays gaining popularity in the main cities too.

Jamun is an acquired taste for many. But trust me when this fruit is made into juice with some accompanying ingredients, it just tastes fabulous and even those who might not have a liking towards this fruit, would fall in love with this juice. In this post, we are going to look how to make a delicious Jamun juice using this fruit. Of late, this juice has taken the social media by a storm in it’s popular avatar called as ‘Jamun Shots’. The reason it is called shots is because it is served in short glasses with some salt and chilli rubbed on the rim. Don’t worry, this is totally a non-alcoholic drink unlike the other shots 😉

One of the main reasons for this rage and popularity is the beautiful rich purple colour of the juice which is quite unusual for any of the regular juices that we drink. It is truly a visually appealing drink which tastes equally amazing. I simply love clicking beautiful pictures of this magnificent juice.

Other than the taste and visual appeal, this juice is also quite healthy and nutritious. Jamun is loaded with micro-nutrients, antioxidants and vitamin C. This fruit has numerous medicinal properties. It helps in better absorption of haemoglobin in the body. It also aids in boosting the immunity, lower blood pressure and improve the health of the skin. This fruit is also diabetic friendly. Considering all these health benefits, it makes absolute sense to include this coolant in your regular summer drinks.

A fun element of having jamun is the colouration of the tongue to a dark purple colour. It is just like the colour that we get in our tongue after having the ”Gota Ice’. Kids typically like to play around by showing their coloured tongues to each other, soon after having these Jamuns.

Coming to the recipe, Jamun shot is a very easy drink to make and just requires a handful of ingredients – Jamun, ice cubes, sugar, fresh mint leaves, kala namak and lemon juice. This drink can be made in almost no time. The only time consuming part is the deseeding of the jamun fruit.

Jamun shot tastes best when made slightly thick, hence I prefer blending the jamun with ice cubes rather than cold water. Sugar is added to enhance the sweetness and cut down the astringent flavour of the jamun, however you can make this sugar-free too. Mint leaves adds to the freshness of the drink and acts as a good coolant too. Kalanamak adds to the pungency and lemon juice adds another dimension of sourness to the jamun.

Serving Suggestion

Jamun shots taste best when served chilled in short glasses that are rubbed with some lemon on the rim and then dipped in a mixture of some salt and red chilli powder. One would get a kick of the saltiness and heat on each sip and makes this drink further enjoyable. You could also add a pinch of chilli powder in the juice while blending if you do not wish to coat it on the rim of the glasses.

Jamun Shots

Kannan

Jamun Shot is a refreshing summer drink made with fresh Jamun or Java Plums, mint leaves, black salt, sugar and lemon juice

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 Small Glasses

Ingredients

  

• 250 grams Jamun or Java Plum
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 10-12 Fresh Mint Leaves
• 6-7 Ice Cubes
• ½ tsp Kalanamak or Black Salt
• Juice of ½ Lemon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

Instructions

 

• Wash and deseed the jamuns
  
• Add the deseeded jamun to a blender jar. Add the ice cubes, sugar, kalanamak and mint leaves.
  
• Squeeze the juice of half a lemon.
  
• Blend the jamun till it is smooth and uniform.
  
• Mix salt and red chilli powder in a plate.
  
• Take the shot glasses and rub a lemon wedge on it's rims.
  
• Now dip the glass rims on the salt-chilli mix.
  
• Pour the jamun juice in the glasses and serve immediately.
  

Notes

• Make sure to pick jamuns which are firm and do not have wrinkled skin on it.
• Ice cubes works best for this recipe as against cold water. You can dilute the juice later if required, after blending with ice.
• You can add regular salt if you do not have kalanamak or black salt. However kalanamak tastes best for this juice.
• You can also add a pinch of chaat masala while blending the jamuns.
• You can also freeze this juice and make popsicles out of it.

Keyword Black Plum, Cold Beverage, Fresh Juice, Jamun, Jamun Shots, Java Plum, Juice, Naaval Pazham, Refreshing, Summer, Summer Drink