Snow Cones with Fruit (Colombian Cholados)

A cholado is a creamy marriage of a snow cone and a fruit cocktail. This combination of fruit syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and tropical fruits over crushed ice is a refreshing, favourite way to cool off on a warm day in Colombia. A magical fusion of colours and flavours, cholado (or cholao) is a typical product of Cali, Colombia. If it's hot, people in Colombia go out to eat cholado. Eating cholado is a must for visitors during all twelve months of the year. In the holiday season or during large festivals, such as the Petronio Álvarez or the Cali Fair, sales are always higher than usual. There are many families that support themselves financially thanks to the cholado, because it is also a business that brings them all together: father, mother, children, and other relatives. This product began to be called 'cholado' from the fusion of two words: 'cholos' and 'helado'. 'Cholos' is as a tribute to the indigenous and mestizo population of Colombia. And 'helado' means ice cream. It's recorded that this Colombian snow cone, initially created to alleviate the hangover, arrived in Cali at the end of the 1980s by the hand of the Bonilla, the Carabalí, and other families who moved to the city and set up the first cholado businesses. The Cali touch was given in the diversity of fruits that you can find in these cold treats.

Strawberry Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup strawberries, chopped

Passion Fruit Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup passion fruit pulp (2 fruits)

Assembly:
8 cups ice, crushed
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas, diced
1 mango, diced
2 passion fruits
1 cup papaya, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced
Topping:
4 Tbsp. strawberry jam

Garnish:
1 green apple, sliced
4 vanilla wafer cookies

For the Fruit Syrups:
Place all the ingredients for each syrup in separate small saucepans. Bring the mixtures to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain the fruit pulp using a fine sieve and keep the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Assembly:
Crush the ice cubes in a food processor or blender.

Into 4 plastic cups, drizzle about 1 Tbsp. of sweetened condensed milk.

Fill half of each cup with crushed ice.

Pour 2 Tbsp. of one of the fruit syrups over the ice.

Add a Tbsp. of each cut fruit. (Or choose which fruit, as desired.)

Drizzle more sweetened condensed milk over the fruit.

Repeat with another layer of ice, fruit syrup, cut fruits, sweetened condensed milk.

If desired, add a Tbsp. of strawberry jam.

Place a slice of green apple and a vanilla wafer cookie in the cup just before serving.

Makes 4 servings.