The Dom Pedro, spelled Don Pedro by roughly half the country and argued over by the other half, is South Africa's favorite after dinner drink: vanilla ice cream whisked with whisky or a cream liqueur until it is just thin enough to sip through a straw. It appeared in the 1970s and is usually credited to a restaurant in the Cape, and it has been on steakhouse dessert menus ever since. The country's marula fruit cream liqueur is a popular local twist, as is a coffee liqueur.

It is not, strictly speaking, a cocktail anyone takes seriously, which is precisely its charm. After a braai and a long afternoon in the sun, a grown up milkshake is the perfect way to watch the podium.

The Dom Pedro

Ingredients

• 4 large scoops (about 2 cups / 300 g) good vanilla ice cream
• 2 oz (60 ml) whisky
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
• 1 small piece (about 1/4 oz / 7 g) dark chocolate

Method

1. Put the ice cream, whisky and cream in the blender. Pulse in short bursts of 2 to 3 seconds, 4 or 5 times, just until smooth. Or whisk hard in the bowl for about 1 minute.
2. Pour into the chilled glasses straight away.
3. Grate a little dark chocolate over the top.

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