drinks
BRAZILIAN-STYLE LEMONA-CADO
Brazilian lemonade isn’t made from lemons. It’s a deliciously tart and creamy mixture of fresh lime and sweetened condensed milk. My take skips the canned milk and uses fresh avocado for an equally creamy but more nutritious sip. (Add a little fresh mint for fun spin on a no-jito.)
MAKES TWO 8-OUNCE SERVINGS
1 large lime
½ avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
1½ cups cold water
1 cup ice, plus more for serving
1 to 3 tablespoons agave syrup or honey
• Trim the ends off of the lime, and set the ends aside. In a high-powered blender, pulse the lime, avocado, water, ice, and 1 tablespoon of the agave syrup. Pulse until well blended, about 1 minute. You’ll still see some flecks of lime peel, but the drink should be a creamy-looking light green.
• Taste and add more agave syrup and pulse a few more times if needed.
• Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher, and pour the drink into the pitcher, using a spoon to gently strain the liquid.
• To serve, pack two glasses with crushed ice, and split the strained drink between them.
• Garnish each glass with a trimmed end from the lime.
TIP: Does your blender get hot trying to crush ice? if so, zest your lime and then juice it instead of putting it whole in the blender, and just stir in some crushed ice.
AVOCADO-NOG
Super creamy and just lightly sweet, this vegan version of the holiday classic doesn’t need to sit in your basement for three months to get you in the holiday spirit. If you have a real sweet tooth, you may want to increase the amount of honey.
MAKES TWO 8-OUNCE SERVINGS
1¾ cups unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
¼ cup smashed avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
2 tablespoons avocado honey or agave syrup
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of kosher salt
2 ounces dark rum, plus more as needed
• In a blender, puree the almond milk, avocado, honey, lemon juice, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until smooth. Add the rum, and pulse a few more times until combined. Add a bit more rum to taste if desired.
• To serve, split the nog between two glasses and garnish each with a couple of grates of nutmeg or cinnamon.
NOTE: Avocado-Nog is also delicious without the rum, if you are sharing with your younger holiday guests.
AVOCADO BUBBLE TEA
Taiwanese bubble tea, or boba, may be a novelty, but it’s a strangely satisfying one. You can make this lightly sweet version without the tapioca pearls, but it won’t be nearly as fun. You’ll need a wide bubble tea straw to serve.
MAKES TWO 6-OUNCE SERVINGS
¼ cup dried boba tapioca pearls
½ cup brewed black tea, cooled to room temperature
¼ avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
½ cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
¼ cup avocado honey or your favorite honey
5 to 6 ice cubes, plus more for serving
• In a medium pot over high heat, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high, and cook the tapioca pearls in the boiling water for about 15 minutes, until the pearls soften and are chewy. Drain and rinse the tapioca with cold water.
• While the tapioca is cooling, in a blender, puree the tea, avocado, almond milk, honey, and ice until smooth.
• To serve, split the tapioca between two 10-ounce glasses, add a few ice cubes, and top each glass with the tea mixture.
CADO-RITAS
We make these rocks margaritas by the pitcherful, although the pitcher never stays full for long. Double it and use a punch bowl for a larger group.
MAKES SIX 4-OUNCE SERVINGS
1 cup cold water
¾ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 large limes)
6 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup diced avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons blanco tequila
2 ounces orange liqueur (like Gran Gala)
About ¼ cup Avocado Leaf Salt (optional)
1 or 2 lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Coarsely broken ice cubes, for serving
• In a blender, place the water, lime juice, sugar, avocado, and kosher salt and blend until smooth, and then transfer the liquid to a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate it for 1 to 10 hours.
• When ready to serve, add the tequila and orange liqueur to the pitcher and stir well to combine.
• To rim your glasses, in a bowl that is a little wider than the 6-ounce rocks glasses you are using, put the avocado leaf salt. Use a lime wedge to wet the edge of each of the six glasses, and dip the top of the glass into the salt. Repeat with the remaining glasses.
• To serve, add ice to the glasses and then split the pitcher between the glasses.
AVOCADO GRASSHOPPER
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bartender extraordinaire, has revived many classic cocktails, but the grasshopper is my favorite. His version uses ice cream and half-and-half to create a ridiculously delicious shake cocktail. This version skips the dairy entirely, but I don’t think you’ll miss it, thanks to the thickness of the avocado.
MAKES ONE 6-OUNCE SERVING
1 cup crushed ice
⅓ cup avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce crème de menthe
1 ounce crème de cacao
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Fernet-Branca
Pinch of sea salt
1 sprig fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
1 crushed chocolate wafer cookie, for garnish (optional)
• In a blender on high speed, blend the ice, avocado, almond milk, vodka, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, honey, Fernet, and salt until smooth.
• To serve, pour the cocktail into a tall, frozen glass, and garnish it with the mint and cookie crumbs.
SIPPING CHOCOLATE
This sipping chocolate is about as different from those little packets of cocoa as a macchiato is from a cup of instant coffee. It may be a small serving, but it’s full of chocolaty richness, so don’t be tempted to fill a typical cocoa mug.
MAKES TWO 6-OUNCE SERVINGS
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice, divided
3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
3 tablespoons agave syrup
¼ cup smashed avocado, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see this page)
• In a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, put about ¼ cup of the almond milk. Whisk in the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Add the remaining ¾ cup almond milk and the agave syrup, and stir to combine. Remove the pot from the heat, add the avocado, and then, using an immersion blender, puree the liquid until smooth. Return the pot to the heat and warm the sipping chocolate if needed.
• To serve, divide the sipping chocolate between two small cups.
NOTE: For an equally delicious but less thick drink, feel free to add more milk.
