Savouring homemade fruit drinks and the bliss of red wines.

Growing up in Plateau State, Nigeria, my parents rarely bought carbonated drinks for us. Most of the carbonated drinks we got were souvenirs from occasions they attended. My mom preferred giving us homemade juices and traditional drinks.

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At that time, I often felt deprived because I always saw my peers getting carbonated drinks from their parents, almost on a regular basis, but I was given homemade or traditional drinks. Looking back now, I am grateful to my parents for taking their time to give us healthy drinks.

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In my state, Plateau State, Nigeria, it was common practice for people to plant a variety of fruits and vegetables in their compounds, and my family was not an exception.

In my compound, we had varieties of fruits ranging from mangoes, oranges, passion fruit, avocado, pawpaw, soursop, and cashew. These fruits grow at different times of the year, thereby making it easier and more readily available for my mom to just use them to prepare homemade drinks for us. Also, fruits are quite cheaper in my state, making them affordable to buy.

Fruit drinks were not the only thing we took. My mom wanted us to have variety, so she usually makes drinks from hibiscus, which is commonly known as zobo here, tamarind juice, and kunu zaki, which is a traditional drink.

Zobo (hibiscus) drink, image is mine.

My mom's zobo is unique, refreshing, and very healthy. Her Zobo drink is a combination of Zobo leaves with blended fruits as sweeteners and not sugar, making it more healthy for consumption with natural flavouring from fresh ginger.

In addition to the zobo drink, there is tamarind juice. Tamarind trees are quite abundant in my locality. One could just go into the bush and get some.

Kunu zaki, also known as gurel, is a traditional beverage made from cereals or fonio (Acha). It has a creamy texture.

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During festive periods, it has become a family tradition to date to prepare Zobo drinks, kunu zaki, and sometimes tamarind juice rather than carbonated drinks. The carbonated drinks were made available in small quantities, and this is for visitors who might prefer them.

A bottle of wine my cousin gifted me a year ago. (Image is mine).

As I grew older and went to university, my taste buds wanted to try out more drinks. Wine, in particular, captured my interest; I had always admired it whenever I saw my dad take it occasionally. Red wine, in particular, became a favourite, especially during social gatherings where I got to choose between beer, wine, or carbonated drinks. It offered a better option than carbonated drinks for me.

I found myself enjoying more carbonated drinks because I had no time to prepare these homemade drinks as a student, and the refrigerator was a luxury my mom couldn't afford to buy to preserve my homemade drinks. Drinking chilled coke became my guilty pleasure, and I was gradually becoming addicted to it. It was very affordable compared to wine.

Fortunately, my friend stepped in to help me reduce my excessive consumption of Coke. He preferred that I take healthier alternatives such as sosa, pulpy orange juice, hollandia yoghurt, or maltina, and this has actually helped me to make conscious efforts to minimise my consumption of coke.

Image is mine.

And on special occasions or when I am financially buoyant, I give myself a treat of milkshakes and mocktails just to satisfy my cravings.

Though I look forward to exploring more wine and having my own wine cellar someday😂.

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