Magical Mocktails by Susan Campbell There’s a whole lotta shaking going on all around this island for those who are craving delicious drinks without the kick! Enjoy all the benefits of a creatively made cocktail, smoothie, or shake, without the strong spirits that might slow you down, with these delightful, traditional, and new age beverages.
Of course, this vacation paradise has thousands of delicious tropical cocktails to help you unwind and let loose on your holiday. But sometimes you want to avoid the “kick” and keep a clear head, yet still crave something exotic and special. Aruba has plenty of fabulous “buzz-free” beverages to choose from when seeking out libations without liquor. Über healthy, creamy and dreamy, or fun and festive... this island serves up all kinds of cool concoctions guaranteed to suit any craving. So let’s go see what’s shaking! Bountiful batidos
Long before blenders were commonplace, Caribbean and Latin American countries were making batidos by hand as a delicious and
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healthy way to beat the heat. Batido is Spanish for “beaten or whipped” and the process of creating these special drinks entailed hand-beating fruits to pulverize them into a pulp. Then some water or milk (usually sweetened condensed milk because it keeps better in hot weather) was added along with some sugar or honey before vigorously shaking the whole mixture up to make it frothy and light. Today, batidos are usually made with blenders and served with finely crushed ice to keep them cool. Each region has its own favorite fruits to use in batidos, but typically banana, papaya, mango, pineapple, strawberry, guava, passion fruit, tamarind, watermelon, and even coconut are mixed in different variations together, but you can use any kind of ripe melon, berry, or fruit. !
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