Pale, thick and ice cold, with the aroma of milk chocolate and a warm grassy edge from the cachaça. Leite de Onça is dessert in a glass, the kind of drink that gets passed around in jugs at Brazilian June parties and disappears faster than anyone planned.
1¾ oz
cachaçae.g. Ypióca · Leblon · Sagatiba · Velho Barreiro · Pitú
¾ oz
crème de cacao white or browne.g. Giffard · Bols · Marie Brizard · Tempus Fugit
1 oz
sweetened condensed milk
2 oz
whole milk well chilled
pinch of
ground cinnamon to dust
Garnish: Dusting of ground cinnamon · Ice: Served up, no ice
Leite de Onça
Sweet, creamy and chocolatey with vanilla and cinnamon notes and a warm cachaça finish. Rich and easy to drink, so sip slowly.
Leite de Onça means "jaguar milk" in Portuguese, a joking name for a drink that looks as harmless as milk but carries a real bite. It is a Brazilian home and party drink rather than a bar creation, and it is especially associated with the festas juninas, the June festivals held across the country with bonfires, dancing and traditional food.
Recipes vary from family to family. The common core is cachaça, sweetened condensed milk and cocoa liqueur, often with plain milk or cream to thin it and a dusting of cinnamon on top. Some cooks add guaraná soda or use rum; nobody claims a single inventor, and the drink is best seen as part of Brazil's wider tradition of creamy batidas.
It means "jaguar milk" in Portuguese, a playful name for a sweet milky drink that is stronger than it looks.
Yes, a light rum works, though cachaça gives the typical grassy, fresh cane note.
It is a favorite at Brazilian festas juninas and family parties, often made in big batches.
The perfect sound
Creamy and gentle like a warm night in Rio.
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