As we’re still under lockdown and the bars aren’t opening anytime soon, my happy hour has gone virtual and my cocktails? Strictly DIY, baby. Fire up the blender and play along as we learn how to make cocktails in quarantine. Next up: the Batida de Coco cocktail.
Sounds…Brazilian?
Batida is Portuguese for “boozy milkshake”. Sort of. Technically it means ‘shaken’ or ‘beaten’, but in the context of a beach, a bar and a bunch of beautiful Brazilians – boozy milkshake it is.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in Brazil. I’ve walked miles along the sand of the beaches in Rio, from the tip of Leblon, down Ipanema to the rocks at Arpoador – and my backside thanked me for it. I’ve watched the sun set from the Duna do Por do Sol in Jericoacoara, danced to the pulse of live drums on the streets Pelourinho and been scared shitless by a renegade tarantula in the Amazon (it was just chilling ouside the door of my cabin. I was so afraid that it would come in and get me, I blocked the gaps under the door with pillows from my bed and stayed awake by candlelight ALL NIGHT). All of this done with a caipirinha in hand- I’m a big fan. I’d never even heard of a batida.
Silly me. Batidas are amazing: creamy and cooling in the tropical sunshine with that little kick of cachaça to get the party started. You’ll often see fruity versions made with passion fruit, mango, pineapple… but I decided to make my debut with classic coco (coconut).
But can I make this cocktail at home?
Hell yeah! You don’t need much in the way of kit. I’ve spoken about shakers before, and if you have one lurking in the cupboard, this would definitely work well here. Don’t forget to strain before you pour over ice to serve. Me? I’ve decided to go full milkshake and make it in the blender. Because we’ll be using ice cubes, it will need to be fairly heavy-duty (check your instructions). Mine is actually a semi-retired smoothie maker (cocktails are just way more fun) so can take a bit of a beating.
I have no fancy cocktail glasses (this is why I go to bars – they have everything!), so am using a standard wine glass to serve.
Cocktail ingredients
- 50ml cachaça (I used Pirassununga 51)
- 50ml coconut milk
- 30ml condensed milk (sweetened – I used the remainder of the tin to make no-churn margarita ice cream)
- 8 chunky ice cubes
- desiccated coconut to garnish
How to make a Batida de Coco cocktail
Put everything in the blender and….blend. That is essentially it. Blend the coconut cream, condensed milk, cachaça and ice until slushie. If you think the consistency is a little runnier than you would like, add more ice. However, remember the more ice you add, the more you dilute the alcohol so…
To garnish, grab two dishes. Pour a little coconut milk in one, a little desiccated coconut in the other. Upturn your serving glass and ‘rim’ dipping first in the milk and then the coconut as you would salt a maragrita glass. Wipe off the excess, fill the glass with batida and serve with a straw. Saúde!
TL;DR…watch me make a Batida de Coco on IGTV
The bottom…(of the cocktail glass)
Creamy, cool and very delicious. And you can make it in five minutes – bonus! Can’t believe I missed out before, and that I had to wait until I was at home in London under lockdown to have my first batida. If I close my eyes and sip, I can almost imagine myself 6,000 miles away, watching hot Cariocas playing footvolley on Ipanema.
Don’t just take my word for it…
