Mango & Mint Sangria

Mangoes and summer afternoons; a tale that goes back to the beginning of time (or so it seems)..

I love mangoes (don't we all) and every year I try and see what new I can do with them! Flashback to last Sunday (yes, I know its been just 3 days); my husband and I were expecting friends over to watch the cricket and we got talking about what to serve them. Its hot where I live, so it had to be something cool and fresh. A chilled white wine sangria fit the bill especially after I realised I had some ripe and sweet mangoes in the house. I tried the old trick of looking up a recipe on the internet but didn't find anything that made sense, so I decided it was time to concoct my own. It was a resounding success! I say this because we ran out and had to make more half way through the day. I hope you enjoy it..

Ingredients

Pictures by ime ©

2 bottles white wine (I used a Sauvignon blanc)
4 shots white rum (or vodka)
1 cup sugar
1 to 1 ½ cups mango juice (store bought)
1 cup mangoes (the ripest, mushiest parts)
3 cups mangoes, diced small (to serve)
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Lemon / Sprite
Club Soda
Ice

Method

Combine the wine, rum, sugar, juice, ripe mangoes and ice & refrigerate. After an hour, do taste the mixture and adjust the juice, sugar, lemon (if too sweet) to your choice. Different wines have different sweetness / acidic levels
Take half the mint and break it down with a mortar and pestle with a little sugar and lemon & water if need be (I used a short cut and used a few tablespoons of Sprite - which worked superbly too). Allow it to rest.
To serve, first strain and squeeze the ground mint into the sangria, then strain the whole thing into the jar of your choice.
Prep the glasses by adding a few spoons of the diced mango and fresh mint leaves to each one and then pouring half a glass of sangria. Top with ice and soda.

And there you have it.. To good health & happiness..

Salud y felicidad!