What is it with Bournvita? ~ Child in me

If I were asked about the list of things I remember enjoying when I was small, small in the sense a time I don’t remember how small I was, the first thing that comes to my mind is my mother bringing me a glass of Bournvita. Aah! The aroma used to be so unique, so soothing and so enticing that it was the lone good thing about rising up early for school. The way my mother makes it, I have never been able to replicate the proportions of sugar and Bournvita. Of course, now when I fix myself a mug, I always end up with one more than the other. And I get the privilege of having that divine glass of Bournvita whenever mom is visiting. The nearest to what my mother makes, I have been able to relish the same at Vohuman’s Cafe (located alongside the Jehangir Hospital lane, Pune). Somehow, getting the right taste is still tricky for me. It has to be that right ½ spoon of sugar + 1 spoon of Bournvita to a glass of milk. (I am definitely not talking about a table spoon or a teaspoon here. I have a medium sized spoon that I usually use for eating and it serves me with the nearly right measurements!)

Somehow, this one drink has sustained well in a long time. There came many malt drinks like Horlicks (which i occasionally like to have), Complan (this is one drink I never liked, though it is said to be the healthiest amongst its malty competitors), Maltova, Amul Pro, Milo, Ovaltin (which is tasty but too heavy on the tummy) and many more. Aah! How can I forget Boost – secret of Sachin Tendulkar’s energy? And then there is ragimalt/ragotine (the barley flavored powder spiced up with condiments like cardamom, almonds and nutmeg) which gives a tough competition to its chocolate malted mates in winters. I have fond memories of my granny preparing me a ragotine/ragimalt drink. In Summers, she used to serve them chilled and in winters, steaming hot. And again, like my mother, her mother had that knack of making the right mixture of milk and malt, something that I have still not been able to learn. I could drool over it anytime, I say!

 Yet, somehow my tongue has remained loyal to Bournvita and till date, its taste has not changed, which is that one thing that keeps me coming back for more! And now, adding to Bournvita lovers are my son and my husband who go to bed only after relishing the warm brown awesomely aromatic Bournvita at night.

Some things don’t change and that is what we love about those ‘some things’. One of them is this, my all time favourite malt drink – Bournvita! I am a Bournvita girl after all! So, what is your pick?