Batida
Yesterday was the first day of fall, and while everyone all over the internet and social media was talking about pumpkin spice and apple recipes, I’m still thinking about summer. Why am I still in a summer mood? Because it’s still in the 80’s here. Yes, while the rest of the world starts to feel a chill in the air and leaves start to fall, here in sunny Southern California, it still feels like summer. And during the summer, all I want to drink are fruity, tropical cocktails. Cocktails that require a lot of crushed ice, a flower garnish and usually come in a cool looking glass. Good news is the Batida checks all those boxes.
Better news is that passionfruit, the main fruit in the Batida, is currently in season. Half the vendors I see at the farmers market have bushels and baskets full of them. My neighbor’s tree is overflowing! So much so, that she dropped off a grocery bag full of them last week. With this much passionfruit, making the Batida seemed like the obvious choice. Especially when it’s such a delicious, cool cocktail.
While most tropical cocktails are made with rum, there are a few classics made with gin and even fewer made with cachaça. In case you hadn’t guessed it, the Batida is one such cocktail. Cachaça, the spirit in the Batida, comes from Brazil and while not exactly a rum, is often referred to as such. See, much like rhum agricole which hails from Martinique, cachaça is essentially a clear, unaged rum made with pure sugar cane. If you’ve ever had Brazil’s Caipirinha, you’ve tasted cachaça. And if you like the Caipirinha and passionfruit, then you should definitely give the Batida a try.
This is a cocktail that can be served in a variety of ways and none of them are bad. I shook it up and poured it into a rocks glass filled with ice. But it would be just as yummy blended and served up, kinda like a creamy, boozy slushy. I say creamy because unlike so many other tropical cocktails out there, this one uses coconut milk. It’s that milk that makes this drink taste like a passionfruit creamcicle and a pure delight! It also proves that the Caipirinha isn’t the only Brazilian cocktail of note. But no matter whether you choose to drink it on the rocks or in slushy-form, give it a try because you are in for a serious treat.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cachaca
- 1 ounce passionfruit juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1/4 ounce lime juice
- 3/4 ounce coconut milk
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously until chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.
