Mango Daiquiri

We work with pineapple and pineapple juice a lot, but it isn’t the only tropical fruit out there that plays well with rum. Mango is another delicious fruit that is excellent when incorporated into tiki drinks. The pile of perfectly ripe mangoes in our kitchen – a few of which were just waiting to be turned into garnish – was all the excuse we needed to start putting together a new recipe: the Mango Daiquiri.

Mango is a tricky flavor to work with. While ripe mangos are intensely sweet, that flavor doesn’t necessarily transfer to a cocktail. When adding purees and juices, we find that we often end up using more than we would like (and you can’t put 3 oz of mango juice in a daiquiri that you want to serve in a coupe). So instead of using juice, we opted for used mango liqueur to flavor this daiquiri. A liqueur made with mango, sugar and alcohol (and perhaps other flavors, depending on the brand) is already formulated to maximize the mango flavor, allowing it to stand on its own alongside the other ingredients in a drink.

We used Paradise Mango Rum Liqueur, which is made with fresh mangos and is produced in the Phillipines. This liqueur is not exactly common stateside, though it is worth looking for if you are a mango fan. Fortunately, there are other brands out there that will work. Drillaud makes a mango liqueur that is easy to work with and Orchid produces a thick, syrupy liqueur that delivers a lot of flavor.

Once you have your liqueur, combine it with white rum – we used Flor de Cana white rum in this recipe – fresh lime juice and simple syrup, then shake and serve. The mild white rum is a nice backdrop for the sweet mango, while the lime juice creates a bright, zesty contrast to the tropical fruit. Ultra-thin, fresh mango slices make a lovely garnish to add to your glass just before serving.

Mango Daiquiri
1 1/2 oz white rum (we used Flor de Cana)
1 oz mango liqueur
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe and garnish with two thin slices of mango