Batida

Cachaça is Brazil’s official spirit and its top-selling liquor. While it has its own category in Brazil, it is essentially a rum made with pure sugar cane, much like rhum agricole or many of the rums from Guatemala—it’s even sometimes referred to as Brazilian rum. It’s normally sold without any aging, or aged in neutral metals, so it’s rarely seen as anything but a clear spirit. And, of course, its most famous application is mixed with sugar and lime in a Caipirinha. However, the Batida demonstrates that the Caipirinha doesn’t have a monopoly on cachaça drinks, even in Brazil.

In Porguese, the word “batida” (pronounced like BAH-chee-da) essentially means shaken or milkshake, and it also encompasses a wide range of drinks—the most defining trait is cachaça, coconut or fruit (usually passionfruit) and sugar. It also often includes some kind of condensed milk or coconut milk to make it creamy.

This recipe uses passionfruit, but combines it with sugar in the form of a passionfruit syrup. BG Reynolds—a famous line of Tiki syrups—is a reliable choice and is readily available in stores and online markets. The drink also contains coconut, in the form of coconut milk, which is richer than coconut water and leads to a creamier consistency. Fresh lime juice brightens the Batida and adds acidity to balance the syrup and coconut milk.

The Batida can be made by shaking the ingredients with ice and pouring them over fresh ice, and other recipes involve blending it all and serving it as a slushy. This recipe marries the two styles, as you’ll flash blend the ingredients first, then pour the drink over crushed or pebble ice. The result is creamy, rich, balanced and delightful. It’s a great introduction to Cachaça, and deserves its place along with the Caiparinha in the Brazilian cocktail hall of fame.

Classics You Should Know: The Caipirinha

233 ratings