What Exactly is in a Jus Alpukat?

I’ve always loved avocado. So when I arrived in Meulaboh, two months after my husband, he was excited to order me an avocado ‘juice.’ After it arrived at our table, however, I was a little skeptical about the word ‘juice.’ Avocado milkshake may have been a better description, but I drank it and, admittedly, I enjoyed it.

Not long after my arrival and several avocado juices later, my pants began to feel just a bit snug and my ‘juice’ skepticism was reignited. Despite my husband’s protests, I was confident that jus alpukat belonged on the dessert menu, not the juice menu. So, I decided to investigate.

According to my husband, Mie Kocok has the best avocado juice in town. And, believe me, he’s done his research. So, I took a look behind the scenes of Mie Kocok, armed with a notebook and a camera. Here’s the inside scoop into what you’re drinking…

I watched my expert jus alpukat maker carefully scoop an entire fresh avocado (minus the pit) into the blender. Wow! I asked if this was typical and she proudly nodded “yes.” Either an entire small avocado or half of a very large avocado is always used.

After the avocado, she reached for the the sweetened condensed milk (Omela). I was right! I knew it was a dessert. Yet, surprisingly, a very modest amount was added. I scratched my head, sure the Omela was the major culprit for my shrinking pants.

Following the Omela came the heaping spoonfuls of sugar. It happened so fast that I couldn’t count how many tablespoons were used. My eyes became big and I held up four fingers and asked “empat?” “No,” I was reassured, “only 2 or 3.” Scoops of ice were then added to the mixture, along with just a bit of water. She then let it blend for a good couple of minutes while working on my jus mangga (which, by the way, doesn’t have any sweetened condensed milk, but it does have the same amount of sugar). Finally, the blending was complete and the best part of the avocado ’juice’ was lovingly added over the top— the chocolate sauce.

While my husband may be victorious in the fact that there was less sweetened condensed milk added than I previously speculated, I still maintain that any juice that has chocolate sauce securely resting on top of it, isn’t really a juice. But, I won’t dispute that they are amongst the best drinks in town and always made with a smile at Mie Kocok.