Drink To Nostalgia!

PARAMOUNT SHERBETS

Paramount, in the College Street area of Kolkata, a stoneʼs throw away from the Indian Coffee House and the Calcutta University in the heart of the cityʼs ʻboiparaʼ, retains an old world charm and has a perfect setting for addas. It devotes itself exclusively to serving sherbets. Established in 1918 by Nihar Ranjan Mazumdar, this shop was earlier named Paradise and had a different address. In 1936 it shifted to its present location and got its current name.

The ambience is quaint, replete with a sense of the past and heavy nostalgia, with old marble top tables, narrow benches, glass framed photographs and a pair of exquisite deer horns gracing the walls. At the entrance there is a notice board full of newspaper clippings and articles that have featured Paramount over the years. There is also a list of luminaries from the past and present who have enjoyed Paramountʼs unique drinks over the years. 

Paramount was originally a meeting place for revolutionaries involved in Indiaʼs freedom struggle or the Swadeshi Movement. Many leading lights like Subhash Chandra Bose, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Prafulla Chandra Ray, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, Satyajit Ray, S D Burman, Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen have frequented this place. In this list are current favourites from the world of films and sports, led by cricketer Sourav Ganguly.  

Earlier, Paramount was operational only during summers but now, mainly because of the popular demand by the patrons, this exclusive sherbet parlour is open round the year. Frequented by the young and the old, it is always buzzing with conversation and laughter. The one page laminated menu is full of surprises.

Ample variety and innovation has kept Paramount on top of the trade with seasonal organic ingredients, original secret recipes and dollops of passion that thirst-quenchers are served with. The most popular and best sherbet in Paramount is the Daaber Shorbot made of tender coconut water, ice, syrup and the white pulp of the fruit. You have to sip it at leisure and savour its sheer delight. Loyal customers prefer Paramountʼs sherbets to any regular soft drinks to quench their thirst. Founder Nihar Ranjan Mazumdar, in collaboration with the renowned scientist, Acharaya Prafulla Chandra Ray, had concocted this famous ʻDaaber Shorbotʼ. The menu also includes Green Mango, Cream Vanilla, Cocoa Malai, Rose Malai, Passion Fruit, Grape Crush, Strawberry Malai, Tamarind and Lichi sherbets. Hereʼs to Paramount that has kept tradition alive for over a hundred years!