If you've ever enjoyed a Vietnamese Coffee, they're to die for. Blend:
- crushed ice
- shot of espresso
- condensed milk
- … avocado
(add dark liquor like bourbon if a cocktail)
blend them together and this is where the condensed milk and avocado shine: ends up this buttery sweet thick ice cream texture, from a blender. I add bourbon to it (which really doesn't matter unless it impacts the substitution ingredient).
Question: if you are serving a milk-intolerant (not vegan) guest, what could you sub for the condensed milk? I'm thinking I could replace condensed milk with honey or sugar mixed with soy/almond milk. Maybe blend the whole crushed ice and all together ahead of time in order to avoid heating milk substitute.
Edit: here's a credible-looking recipe, as it says, this drink is quite common in SE Asia.
Best Answer
If you're comfortable with a modernist answer, you could use 210S, a 50/50 blend of modified (for cold solubility) Gum Arabic and Xanthan gum, popularized in part by Dave Arnold's book, Liquid Intelligence.
Sweeten your favorite milk substitute (eg. almond milk) and then add 0.5%-1.0% by weight to thicken it. This will require a blender, and I suggest dispersing the 210S in some sugar to prevent clumping.
If you can't source 210S (it is available on Modernist Pantry), then you can use unmodified Gum Arabic and Xanthan gum, but it will require heating.
Another approach could be to use 0.2%-2.0% lambda carrageenan with a nut milk, though I'm not sure it could achieve quite the same viscosity as 210S without gelling. Coffee Mate (suggested in another answer) uses carrageenan (among others) as a thickener, though it is not nearly as thick as sweetened condensed milk.