Tropical Tango

Makes 6 drinks

Whereas tequila has been popular north of the border for decades, such interesting liquors such as cachaça from Brazil and pisco from Chile and Peru are just coming into the spotlight. Their flavor is wonderful with this combination of sweet and tart fruit flavors balanced by spices.

1 juicing orange

2 ripe yellow Champagne (Ataulfo) mangoes, peeled and diced

5 scallions, white parts only, sliced

1 ¼ cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

⅔ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, seeds and ribs removed, diced

3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons diced fresh ginger

½ orange bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced

½ English cucumber, peeled and diced

Salt

Mexican hot sauce, such as Cholula

9 to 12 ounces tequila, pisco, cachaça, or light rum

GLASS RIM (OPTIONAL):

1½ tablespoons kosher salt

1½ tablespoons chili powder

SUGGESTED GARNISHES:

Strips of orange or red bell pepper

Sprigs of fresh cilantro

Skewers of Ceviche (here) or boiled shrimp

Skewers of cubed mango

Lime wedges

Grate the zest from the orange and squeeze out the orange juice. Combine the orange zest, orange juice, mangoes, scallions, grapefruit juice, vinegar, chiles, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, and cucumber in a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth.

Strain half of the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir the liquid into the unstrained portion, and season with salt and hot sauce to taste. Chill well.

Rim 6 (14-ounce) glasses with a combination of salt and chili powder, if desired, following the instructions here.

Pour about 6 ounces (¾ cup) of the mix into a pint glass, add 1½ to 2 ounces of the liquor, and fill the glass completely with ice. Roll the drink between 2 pint glasses to mix and chill for individual servings (see here), or pour the liquor and mix into a pitcher filled with ice and stir well with a long-handled spoon.

Strain the drink into a rimmed glass using a funnel to avoid wetting the rim. Add ice cubes, and garnish each drink with strips of bell pepper, sprigs of cilantro, a skewer of ceviche, a skewer of mango, and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Note: The mix can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered.

There’s an easy way to cut decorative cubes out of a mango. The pit is elliptical and runs the length of the fruit. Slice off both sides of the flesh around the pit without peeling the mango, then score the flesh in a diamond pattern and turn the skin inside out. The flesh will pop away from the peel, making it easy to cut the cubes off.

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