If you haven’t lived in Colombia or Queens, you’ve probably never heard of Cholados.

I was completely clueless until last Saturday, when I ran across this recipe in Adam Ried’s “Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes.” 

Think Slurpee meets fruit salad.

First, you fill your cup halfway with shaved or crushed ice, and top it with fruit syrup (or sorbet) and sweetened condensed milk. Then you pile on a kaleidoscope of freshly-chopped fruit – especially tropical fruits, cantaloupe and strawberries – and drizzle on another spoonful of sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle on a little shredded coconut, add a maraschino cherry, and, just for fun, rock the traditional garnish: a vanilla-filled wafer cookies, just like the ones your granny keeps next to the TV remote.

Holy goodness, it is epic.

The ice on the bottom keeps the fruit extra-cold, which makes it extra-delicious on a 100-degree day. Then, while you’re snacking, that ice is melting and mixing with the fruit sorbet and the milk into this addictive, slurpable slush.

A dessert that requires a spoon and a straw. I have nothing but respect for this.

I was a little worried about spending a small fortune on fruit, but I found just the thing at the grocery: a container of mixed cut fruit in the produce section. It held about three cups of cut strawberries, pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon, as well as red and green seedless grapes. I also added some sliced banana. However, you could use peaches, nectarines, mango, papaya, kiwis, oranges – whatever fresh fruit you love.

You could even make a red, white and blue cholado for the Fourth with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and banana.

So, what special glassware holds all of this awesome?

Big plastic cups.

That’s how cholados are typically sold on the street, so make it easy on yourself, and grab a pack at the grocery. They make the clean-up easy, and you don’t have to panic if someone drops one by the pool.

Things in plastic cups. They keep a party going.

P.S. If you’d like to check out some more of Adam’s milkshake recipes, see the Stupendous Strawberry Shake from our last “Mad Men” menu, or visit the blogs listed at The Great Shake 2012.

Cholados

Reprinted with permission from Adam Ried’s

“Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes”

Makes 2

• 3 cups shaved or crushed ice (about 20 ounces/568 grams)

Your choice of ONE of the following:
• 6 tablespoons fruit concentrate or syrup, any flavor (about 3 ounces)
• OR, 6 tablespoons partially thawed frozen orange juice concentrate (about 3 ounces)
• OR, 2 scoops sorbet (recommended flavors: passion fruit, mango, raspberry, tangerine) (6 ounces/170 grams)

• 1/2 cup regular or lowfat sweetened condensed milk (about 4 ounces)
• 2 cups mixed, cut fresh fruit – such as sliced banana or strawberries, halved grapes, and finely diced mango, papaya, pineapple, cantaloupe, peach, or nectarine (about 16 ounces/454 grams)
• 3 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 2 maraschino cherries
• 2 filled wafer cookies, for garnish, optional

1. Place 1 1/2 cups of ice into each of two big plastic cups.
2. In each glass, top the ice with 3 tablespoons fruit syrup or orange juice concentrate (or 1 scoop of sorbet), 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, and 1 cup of fruit. (It’s OK to mound the fruit above the rims of the glasses.)
3. Top the fruit in each glass with 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut, a cherry and a cookie, if using. Serve with a spoon, a straw, and lots of napkins.

Note: Wanna talk milkshakes with Adam Ried (aka the bearded kitchen equipment geek on “America’s Test Kitchen” and “Cook’s Country”) Join us tonight on Twitter at 7 p.m. CST, and use the hashtag #GreatShakes.

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