What better way to send off summer than with this sweet and refreshing Batida de Coco? Just a handful of ingredients and a blender are all you’ll need to prepare this classic Brazilian beach cocktail!

This is one of my favorite cocktails! The one I can never resist. It is like drinking a boozy coconut milkshake.

If you’ve ever been to a Brazilian beach kiosk, or a Carnaval party, chances are you’ve encountered a Batida de Coco. Not as popular worldwide as our caipirinhas, but equally delicious and tropical!

But before I teach you how to make it, I feel like it’s my duty to warn you that Batida de Coco is known for being extremely dangerous, as it is always the case with sweet blended cocktails. They are yummy and decadent, and can make you drunk fast! So proceed with caution.

Batida de Coco ingredients:

So what’s in this cocktail? 

• Coconut milk – the full-fat version will produce a creamier drink.
• Sweet condensed milk 
• Shredded coconut – fresh is best, always!
• Cachaça – but you can use vodka or rum.
• Ice

Make sure you buy unsweetened coconut milk and not cream of coconut. Batidas de Coco are already sweet (because of the sweet condensed milk), and if you use cream of coconut, they might be undrinkable!

If all you have is the store packaged shredded coconut, you should hydrate it before blending with the other ingredients, otherwise your cocktail will have a slight sandy consistency. Also, opt for the unsweetened kind as to not add more sugar to this recipe!

For a virgin version, just omit the alcohol!

How to make Brazilian Coconut Cocktail

To make Batida de Coco, all you need to do is blend all the ingredients until creamy and smooth. 

You can easily customize the consistency by adjusting the amount of ice you use. I use 3 cups and that produces a frothy cocktail! Use less if you like your batida more liquid-y.

For the ultimate creaminess, after blending everything, you can pop the jar in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until the drink gets very thick. Then, before serving, blend again to bring it back to a drinkable consistency!

Wanna make it ahead of time? Just blend everything and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then, 30 minutes before serving, put it in the freezer to thicken and blend again to serve.

Serving Batida de Coco

Truth be told, most of the batidas I’ve had at the beach were not garnished and were served in plain plastic cups. Nothing special.

But, if I’m going to prepare a tropical drink, you can bet I’ll go all in, cocktail umbrella included. Except I didn’t have one when I made a batch to photograph, so I used these cute leaf straw clips instead.

You can keep as simple or as extravagant as you’d like. You can even serve the cocktails in coconuts!

An easy way to bring a little tropical vibe to this drink is to rim the serving glasses with shredded coconut. Just brush (or dip) the glass with some liquid – I use coconut milk here, but water works too – and then dip it into shredded coconut, rotating the glass so it’s evenly rimmed.

I recommend prepping the glasses in advance, or at least before you blend the cocktail, to give the coconut time to dry onto the glass, helping with adherence.

Check out these other cocktail recipes:

• Watermelon Caipiroska
• Pineapple Mint Fruit Bar Caipirinha
• Frozen Peach Bellini
• Fizzy Passion Fruit Cocktail