Batido de mamey

Ingredients

Fruit

• 400 gripe mamey sapote flesh
• or 400 g frozen mamey pulp

Liquid

• 300 mlwhole milk
• 100 mlevaporated milk
• or 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

To finish

• 3 tablespoonssugar, or to taste
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoonvanilla, optional
• plenty of ice

Directions

1. Let it ripen at room temperature for several days. Preparing the fruit takes a few minutes.
2. Cut the fruit lengthways around the seed. Twist the two halves apart gently. Lift the large seed out and discard it. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon.
3. Discard any fibrous parts near the skin. You should have soft dense pink flesh.
4. Put the mamey flesh into a blender. Add the milk and the evaporated milk. Add the sugar and the pinch of salt. Add the vanilla if you are using it.
5. Blend it until it is completely smooth. Mamey is dense and needs a good minute of blending. Add more milk if it will not pour at all.
6. Add more fruit if it seems thin. Cuban cafeterias make theirs very thick indeed. Add a generous handful of ice cubes. Blend again until the ice has broken down. The mixture should become paler and frothy.
7. Taste it and adjust the sugar. Mamey is sweet on its own and needs little. Pour it into tall chilled glasses. It separates within a few minutes of standing.

Technique

• Mamey sapote and mammee apple are two different fruits often confused in English, and the pink-fleshed sapote is the one used for batidos.
• The large seed is not eaten and should be discarded.

Substitutions

• Frozen mamey pulp is sold in Latin American shops and is the most practical option abroad.
• Condensed milk can replace the sugar and evaporated milk together.

Variations

• Batidos are made the same way with papaya, guava, mango or banana.
• A version with a scoop of ice cream is served in some shops.
• Trigo, a wheat-based batido, is another Cuban cafeteria standard.

History

Mamey sapote is native to Central America and Cuba; the blended batido became a fixture of Cuban cafeterias and later of Miami’s Cuban shops.

Frequently asked questions

What is Batido de mamey?

Batido de mamey is a drink from Cuba: thick milkshake of salmon-pink mamey sapote with ice and sugar. Mamey sapote is native to Central America and Cuba; the blended batido became a fixture of Cuban cafeterias and later of Miami’s Cuban shops.

How long does Batido de mamey take to make?

Batido de mamey takes 10 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 2 tall glasses. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Batido de mamey?

Yes, within limits. Frozen mamey pulp is sold in Latin American shops and is the most practical option abroad. Condensed milk can replace the sugar and evaporated milk together.