No offence to the creator of guacamole, but when it comes to creating an excellent culinary out of avocado, Indonesians win hands down.

Whenever I went out to eat at an Indonesian restaurant as a child, there was a default drink that I, and many other people who shared the same happy childhood as I did, always ordered: avocado juice (or jus alpukat in Indonesian).

Avocado juice sounds healthy and odd to those who have never tried it before, but it is seriously anything but. A juice may be a misnomer – it is after all more of a smoothie made out of the fruit mixed with milk and sugar. And no jus alpukat in Indonesia is ever complete without a generous dollop of chocolate condensed milk.

I know, avocado + chocolate, who would ever think that the equation = heavenly?

I don’t know when I stopped drinking jus alpukat, but I suspect it was around the time when I started not being able to fit into most of my clothes. So enjoying the drink was only reserved for special occasions in a bid to stop myself from expanding too quickly.

A visit to Medan, my parents’ hometown, after more than fifteen years certainly qualifies as a special occasion. This was why I was looking forward to visiting Macehat, a coffee joint at Jalan Karo no. 20, that was famous for its coffee based drinks as well as avocado coffee float – the Indonesian jus alpukat with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, a big spoon of Milo powder and a single espresso shot, a modern twist to the classic jus alpukat that Indonesians love so much.

One thing that you have to know about me: I hate coffee. It makes me dizzy and sleepy. People have served me different types of coffee drinks, but all they got from me was a disgusted look after one sip.

But this drink, the avocado coffee float, did the trick. The combination of avocado and chocolate ice cream was reminiscent of the chocolate condensed milk version, just a lot creamier and heavier. Meanwhile, the espresso shot finished the job beautifully by serving as a neutraliser in what is otherwise a nauseatingly creamy drink.

My uncle, knowing that I despised coffee, suggested that I added just a little of the espresso shot. But after trying my sister’s cup after she has poured the whole thing in, I decided that hers tasted a lot better. So for the first time in my life, I actually preferred more coffee than none. I finished the whole glass in no time.

It did cross my mind for a second as I was slurping the drink that I should have probably shared a glass with my sister instead of having one to myself. But then it was sooo good that I dismissed the thought immediately.

As a result, I was dizzy and rather sleepy almost immediately, but again, for the first time ever, I didn’t mind the slight discomfort that came with drinking a whole glass of heaven.

When you visit Indonesia, you will see this drink served in many cafés. But what distinguishes the one in Macehat is the quality of the coffee used in the espresso shot. At least that’s what I have been told. I wouldn’t know, I never drink coffee.

Macehat is located at Jalan Karo no. 20, Medan. Run as a family business, it doesn’t have any branches and its interior is simple, its walls covered with white tiles, reminding me a little of olden-days coffee shop in Indonesia. The place is constantly crowded all the way until its closing time at 7 pm, but you should be able to get a table pretty quickly. My only tip: if you are a decent human being, you will love the avocado coffee float.