Why fresh mango puree? Won’t the the stuff you buy in a bottle or carton work? It might. But grocery-bought mango puree is rarely unsweetened. Nine times out of ten, there’s sugar in it to make it convenient to drink.
What’s wrong with sweetened grocery-bought mango puree? Well, when making cocktails, the best mangoes to use is not the very ripe ones. Too sweet. You want ones that are almost ripe.
Mango skin is green when the fruit is unripe and it turns yellow as it ripens. Well, at least, that’s how mangoes are in Southeast Asia (those mangoes in the photo are from our own tree, by the way). I’ve read that there are mango-growing regions where the skin of the fruit is red.
The sweetness of fresh mangoes varies. Depending on the level of ripeness, there may be a bit of tang or, when overripe, the sweetness can be intense.
The only way to judge the stage of ripeness and level of sweetness of a mango is to cut it open and taste the flesh. Then, judge is its ideal for making a cocktail drink.
Mango Vodka Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce Triple Sec
- ¼ ounce lime juice
- sugar - optional
Instructions
- Cut the mango, remove the stone and discard the skin.
- Cut the mango flesh into small pieces.
- Throw the mango pieces into the blender, add the rest of the ingredients and a few ice cubes.
- Process until smooth.
- Pour into a glass.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry, if you like.
- Serve very cold.
