MANGOES SHAKE UP THE COCKTAIL SCENE
The layers of complex flavour and taste of the fruit blend well into cocktails. Bartenders tell us how to enjoy the mango in a glass
Mango, the king of fruit, presides over cocktails this season. Bar owner Abhishek Joshi of Pune’s We Idliwale Barroom shakes it up for a picante, Bengaluru’s bar consultant Karthik Kumar stirs it into a highball, and Delhi’s Harish Chimmwal of the Olive Group makes a murabba for a refreshing Murabba Mule.
The fruit—be it ripe and juicy or raw and tart—has layers of flavour, and bartenders are harnessing it to make a range of cocktails. The unique tartness of mangoes comes from a combination of citric and malic acids, wrote Krish Ashok in Lounge in 2021 in a piece titled What is the science of mangoes?
The pronounced sweetness in the fruit limits the need for the use of sugar, making a cocktail more appealing. When an ingredient is so rich in taste and complexity and is a crowd-favourite, bartenders have to do little in terms of technique for a good cocktail.
Alphonso emerged as the clear winner as the bartenders’ favourite for cocktail-making. Ashish Tamta, a bartender at JW Marriott in Bengaluru, explains why Alphonso works for him. Dusheri has nectar-like sweetness, chausa has less pulp, whereas Alphonso has a rich sweet notes with undertones of tartness. He makes a drink with rum, Alphonso mango pulp, tamarind puree and a splash of grenadine stirred with ice to beat the summer heat. Pankaj Bera of Shangrila Bengaluru is partial to Alphonso for its pulpy creamy texture. He makes a rum-based cocktail with Alphonso and pineapple topped with refreshing coconut water.
Delhi-based bartender Harish Chimmwal loves mangoes and swears by murabba. He heads the beverage programme of the hospitality Olive Bar & Kitchen that runs Monkey Bar, Toast and Tonic, Fatty Bao, among others. Chimmwal’s Murabba Mule served at Monkey Bar is one of the top-sellers; while Toast and Tonic serves a gimlet with raw mango and gondhoraj cordial. The gimlet could be a challenge to make at home but the Murabba Mule is a straightforward recipe: mix a teaspoonful of mango murabba with 60ml vodka and top with ginger ale in a tall glass.
Joshi of We Barroom grew up eating the pairi, which has notes of white flowers, citrus and honey. He uses the raw pairi with its sharp tart notes to make a mango picante. “The raw pairi is better than other unripe varieties because it has a good balance of earthy notes and sourness,” he points out, adding that he uses it with the south Indian curd chilli. The two are combined to make a brine that goes into the spicy addictive picante. As garnish, he uses a raw mango slice sprinkled with aamchur for a touch of nostalgia.
Another drink inspired by nostalgia and home kitchens is the Big Froot at Soka in Bengaluru. It is made with palm-sized, pulpy appemidi mango popular in coastal Karnataka. Bartender Avinash Kapoli of Soka says it’s his favourite mango variety and this drink with Bacardi Carta Blanca and with virgin coconut tempering is inspired by the dish appe huli,a rasam-like preparation from Karnataka made with raw mangoes.
Mangoes are also used in beers. The brewery at Prime Golf in Bengaluru has a Mango Vanilla Blonde Ale with Alphonso brewed along with Banganapalli, and mallika. “The Alphonso mango is my favourite, with its rich, intense, versatile flavours. It also adds a great texture to the beer, giving it a wonderful mouthfeel. Mallika is sweet with subtle tartness, and it’s less fibrous, making it juicier, blending in nicely with the beer. The Banganapalli, with its subtle pineapple and citrus-like aroma, adds another layer of aroma and flavour. By combining these three varieties in a fixed ratio, we achieve a complex, well-rounded flavour profile in the beer,” explains brewmaster Umang Nair.
Woodside Inn in Mumbai adds a light mango pineapple ale for the summer, while Effingut with outlets across multiple cities has a juicy mango cider. If you visit a bar and find a mango drink, do ask which variety has been used. The answer will make your experience
more enjoyable.
With inputs by Shrabonti Bagchi