The Batida cocktail, hailing from Brazil, is a blend that showcases the country’s national spirit, cachaça.
This tropical drink combines cachaça with the sweetness of fruit syrup, the creaminess of coconut milk, and the zesty brightness of lime juice.
The Batida offers a delightful taste of Brazilian festivity, perfect for sipping on a sunny day or at any celebration.
Here’s how to make this exotic cocktail, bringing a piece of Brazil right into your glass.
The Batida Cocktail Ingredients:
- Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça (2 ounces / 60 ml): A premium Brazilian cachaça that provides a smooth, slightly grassy base to the cocktail.
- BG Reynolds Passion Fruit Syrup (1 ounce / 30 ml): Adds a rich, tropical sweetness that complements the cachaça.
- Coconut Milk (1/2 ounce / 15 ml): Adds a creamy texture and a hint of coconut flavor, enhancing the drink’s tropical profile.
- Lime Juice (1/2 ounce / 15 ml, freshly squeezed): Offers a burst of citrus that balances the sweetness of the syrup and the richness of the coconut milk.
- Garnish: Pineapple Leaf: Adds a decorative touch and hints at the tropical origins of the cocktail.
- Garnish: Grated Nutmeg: Provides a warm, aromatic finish that contrasts beautifully with the drink’s tropical flavors.
Batida Cocktail Recipe:
- Blend the Ingredients: In a blender, combine 60 ml (2 ounces) of Novo Fogo silver cachaça, 30 ml (1 ounce) of BG Reynolds passion fruit syrup, 15 ml (1/2 ounce) of coconut milk, and 15 ml (1/2 ounce) of freshly squeezed lime juice. Add about 3/4 cup of ice to the blender, ensuring enough ice to achieve a smooth, slushy consistency when blended.
- Blend Until Smooth: Blend the mixture until it reaches a smooth, creamy texture. The goal is to fully incorporate the ice, creating a consistency that’s both refreshing and easy to drink.
- Serve: Pour the blended cocktail into a rocks glass, allowing the vibrant colors and creamy texture to shine through. The choice of glass complements the drink’s aesthetic, making it as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.
- Garnish: Embellish the cocktail with a pineapple leaf, placing it artfully in the glass for a touch of tropical elegance. Finish by grating a bit of nutmeg directly over the drink. The nutmeg’s spicy aroma adds depth and a hint of warmth to the cocktail’s bright and fruity profile.
- Enjoy: Serve the Batida with a straw, inviting guests to dive into this creamy, flavorful cocktail that perfectly balances the potent kick of cachaça with the sweet and tangy notes of passion fruit and lime, all smoothed out by the lush creaminess of coconut milk.
The Batida Cocktail – In Detail
Cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit and its most popular liquor, occupies a unique niche in the country’s beverage culture.
Though classified on its own in Brazil, cachaça is essentially a type of rum distilled from pure sugar cane, similar to rhum agricole and some rums from Guatemala. Often dubbed Brazilian rum, cachaça is typically unaged or aged in neutral metals, resulting in its clear appearance.
Its most renowned use is in the Caipirinha, where it’s mixed with sugar and lime. However, the Batida cocktail showcases cachaça’s versatility beyond the iconic Caipirinha.
The term “batida,” which translates to “shaken” or “milkshake” in Portuguese, refers to a broad category of drinks characterized by their use of cachaça, coconut or fruit (commonly passion fruit), and sugar, often enriched with condensed milk or coconut milk for a creamy texture.
This particular Batida recipe highlights passion fruit through the use of passion fruit syrup, specifically from BG Reynolds—a well-known Tiki syrup brand. It pairs the syrup with coconut milk, offering a richer, creamier consistency than coconut water, and fresh lime juice to inject a refreshing acidity, creating a perfect balance between sweetness and tartness.
Blending these ingredients with ice, then serving over crushed or pebble ice, combines two traditional methods into one, resulting in a creamy, rich, and delightfully balanced cocktail. This approach offers a refreshing introduction to cachaça, positioning the Batida as a worthy companion to the Caipirinha in Brazil’s cocktail heritage.
Check out some more delicious passionfruit cocktails.