Indonesian Avocado Drink

Indonesian es alpukat is the avocado drink that turns Western expectations on their head. In Jakarta, avocado is a dessert fruit, not a savory one, blended with simple syrup and milk into a thick, ice-cream-textured base. A topping of chocolate milk pours over the green layer to create a stunning two-tone effect in the glass.

The trick is the simple syrup. Sugar dissolved into water and cooled means there’s no graininess in the finished drink, and it sweetens the avocado without weighing the texture down the way granulated sugar would.

Use ripe but not overripe avocados, properly soft to the squeeze but still bright green inside. The flesh blends into a thick, almost custardy base. Top with crushed ice and serve immediately so the layers stay defined.

Kitchen Tips

• Make the simple syrup ahead and chill it. Cold syrup keeps the drink frosty instead of warming the avocado as you blend.
• Use full-fat chocolate milk for the best layering effect. Skim or low-fat versions thin out and merge with the avocado base too quickly.
• Pour the chocolate milk slowly over the back of a spoon to keep the layer separate. This is the same trick bartenders use for layered cocktails.
• Drink with a long spoon and a straw. The straw lets you pull from the avocado base, the spoon gets the chocolate top.

Variations

• Sweeten with condensed milk in place of simple syrup for the more traditional Jakarta-street-vendor style.
• Stir a half teaspoon of instant coffee into the chocolate milk for a mocha-avocado version.
• Blend a small handful of frozen chocolate chips into the avocado base for extra cocoa intensity in the bottom layer.