So this cocktail blogging thing is catching. One person blogs about a drink, then another of us catches on and, before you know it, the cocktail blogosphere is alive with a new phenomenon. I’m not sure the batida is quite there yet, but it certainly has the potential to start a craze.

Though I got my first glimpse of the batida from Jeffrey, this drink premiered back in April on The Spirit World. Despite the excellence of both posts it was, however, when I picked up Charles Schumann’s Tropical Bar Book this week that I glimpsed the true magic of the batida. Batida is the Brazilian word for shaken or milkshake, which translates into a drink made from cachaça, fresh fruit and ice, as well as common variations containing sweetened condensed milk. The most common flavors are coconut, maracuja (passion fruit) and cashew (the fruit, not the nut), though the iterations are limitless. Pretty much any combination of fresh fruit or juice with cachaça and ice will yield a wonderfully refreshing little drink.

So wonderful, in fact, that I got a little carried away. I was so enamored of the batida that I just had to keep trying different flavors—batida de banana, de maracuja y la Batida Rosa de Jeffrey Morgenthaler.

1 oz cachaça
1 ½ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz coconut milk
1 banana, cut into pieces and frozen
crushed ice

Blend and serve in a highball glass.

Yum. That’s pretty much the only word I can come up with for this. It’s basically a lightly alcoholic banana milkshake, though it doesn’t have the intense sweetness that I usually associate with milkshakes. I keep cut, frozen banana chunks in my freezer for use in smoothies, and I’d recommend using the same as it gives the drink a little bit more body (and you can use a bit less ice so it doesn’t melt as fast).

1 oz cachaça
2 oz passionfruit juice or ½ a fresh passion fruit, quartered
2 teaspoons simple syrup
splash of fresh lime juice
crushed ice

Blend and serve in a highball glass.

This was, by far, my favorite of the three. Tart, light and refreshing, it hints at the tropics in a subtle, relaxing way. Really wonderful.

2 oz cachaça
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz grenadine
½ oz simple syrup

Shake ingredients over cracked ice and strain into a large wine glass filled with fresh ice. Top with 3 ounces soda or sparkling mineral water.

Of all the recipes I tried, his has the lightest, most effervescent character. It’s sweeter than the others though you don’t get a sugary mouthfeel. I enjoyed one of these immensely while lounging—pretty much the best way to take your batidas.