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. Advocaat 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, 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".
Types and uses
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 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.
Related drinks
The Polish equivalent, ajerkoniak, 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.
