Milkshake

Offer chocolate truffles alongside or afterwards, with coffee or Champagne.

The secret to this fabulous milk shake from the St. Francis Fountain and Candy Store in San Francisco is the homemade chocolate syrup. Refrigerate the leftover syrup to enjoy later, poured over your favorite ice cream or pound cake.

Serve immediately as a thick maltlike drink or a soft "ice cream."

Es alpukat, a surprisingly delicious and refreshing Indonesian coffee drink, gets its richness and body from avocado. In Indonesia, they often serve it over ice, but we prefer the ice blended right in, milkshake-style.

Blended drinks called batidas (or licuados) are served at fruit bars throughout Latin America. Milk or freshly squeezed orange juice is used as the base, then fruit is added and the mixture is blended to the consistency of a thick shake. Batidas are often enjoyed as a mid-morning or afternoon snack, but they're also delicious as cocktails later in the day. We tried various kinds of sugar to rim the glasses — from coarse crystals of sanding sugar to small grains of granulated sugar — and the only difference is in the appearance.