Advocaat

Two theories have been put out on the origins of "advocaat".

According to several makers, such as Verpoorten and Bols, and the Oxford companion to Sugar and Sweets, its origins can be traced back to "abacate", an alcoholic beverage of the indigenous people in Brazil, which was made with avocado. Dutch colonials of northern Brazil introduced this beverage to Europe as "advocat/advocaat". As avocados could not grow in northern Europe, they were replaced with egg yolk, thought to have a similar taste and consistency, and the name derived from the avocado stuck, although the drink no longer contains any.[2][3]

Advocaat [ɑdvoːˈkaːt] is also the Dutch word for "lawyer". As the name of the drink, it is short for advocatenborrel, or "lawyer's drink", where borrel is Dutch for a small alcoholic beverage consumed slowly during a social gathering. According to the 1882 edition of the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal (Dictionary of the Dutch Language), it is "zoo genoemd als een goed smeersel voor de keel, en dus bijzonder dienstig geacht voor een advocaat, die in 't openbaar het woord moet voeren" ("so named as a good lubricant for the throat, and thus considered especially useful for a lawyer, who must speak in public").[4]

A bottle of advocaat of German origin

Jars and wide mouth bottles of thick advocaat are sold mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium, though may be available in Germany and Austria. Further exports are of a more liquid version.

In particular the original thick variety, i.e. without albumen, is used as a waffle, pancake or poffertjes topping, as an ingredient for ice cream, custards, pastries and similar desserts, or as an apéritif or digestif. The latter, possibly topped with whipped cream and then occasionally sprinkled with a touch of cocoa powder, is served in a very tiny bowl or small glass from which it is eaten by use of a teaspoon. In Belgian restaurants and taverns, it may be a complementary accompaniment to a coffee.

In the export variety both parts of the eggs are used. The best known cocktail using advocaat is the Snowball: a mixture of advocaat, sparkling lemonade and sometimes (although this is not required) lime juice that is often consumed at Christmastime. Another is the Fluffy duck, made with rum. Another advocaat-based beverage is the Bombardino, a drink commonly found in Italian ski resorts, particularly the Italian Alps, made by mixing advocaat, brandy, and whipped cream.[5]

The Polish equivalent, ajerkoniak (de: Eier—eggs; fr: Cognac), is based on vodka instead of brandy, despite what the name may suggest.

Rompope of Mexico and Sabajón of Colombia are very similar liqueurs based on egg yolk and vanilla. Some varieties have additional flavourings.

• Coquito – Puerto Rican rum and coconut milk cocktail
• Eggnog – Sweetened dairy-based beverage
• Eierpunsch – A warm, sweetened alcoholic, egg-based drink
• Kogel mogel – An egg-based homemade dessert
• Pisco sour – Cocktail typical of Peruvian and Chilean cuisine
• Ponche crema – A cream liqueur from Venezuela, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago
• Zabaione, also known as Zabaglione – Italian dessert made with egg, sugar, and wine

• Marcus, Lori (2003). Bartending Inside-Out: The Guide to Profession, Profit and Fun (3rd ed.). Crystal Bay, Nev.: Cadillac Press. ISBN 9780964201989.
• Walton, Stuart (2004). The Ultimate Book of Cocktails: How to Create Over 600 Fantastic Drinks Using Spirits, Liqueurs, Wine, Beer and Mixers. London: Hermes House. ISBN 9780681768819. OCLC 156369625.

• Media related to Advocaat at Wikimedia Commons