Mango Banana Daiquiris So Kick Up Your Heels

It's party time for the Barefoot Bloggers group as Veronica from Supermarket Serenade has sent over a tray of daiquiris as her recipe selection this month. I must confess to having some experience drinking daiquiris but nearly none making them. When we were at university, a friend used to have regular daiquiri parties, firing up the blender, with fruit, ice and rum. Picture INXS in the CD player, acid wash jeans and new romantic hairdos. I wish I was kidding. On a usual night, the fruit would start to run out a long time before the alcohol, so the drinks would get stronger and stronger and stronger. Probably more information about my misspent youth than you wanted.

Now, with a decade or two more sense, daiquiris tend to be a holiday indulgence preferably drunk by a pool on a balmy afternoon. But now I have discovered that making them myself is too easy, I might be able to indulge a little more frequently. At this time of year, mangos are nowhere to be found, so I cheated and used tinned mango. The result was OK but not as sublime as fresh. We'll be re-testing this recipe at Xmas time when the sweetest mangos are sold by the case. I can't wait.



Mango Banana Daiquiris
from "The Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics" by Ina Garten
serves 4

2 cups chopped ripe mango (1 to 2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup sugar syrup*
1 1/4 cups dark rum, such as Mount Gay
Mango slices, for serving

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup, and rum in a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with the mango slices.

*To make simple syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Chill.