Author Notes
I love sweet mango with tart lime so I created this drink to celebrate the two. I also wanted to add a herbal note so decided to create a simple syrup infused with mint -- mostly because mint makes so much sense with mango and lime but also because I have a huge pot of it outside my porch door. Basil makes a fine substitute, or a combination of basil and mint would be lovely, too. The use of turbinado sugar gives the drink a nice complex sweetness that you don't get with regular white sugar. If you happen to be lucky enough to have a surplus of fresh, ripe mangoes, by all means use them here. Otherwise, a bag of frozen mango, something I always keep on hand, makes a great substitute. —EmilyC
Test Kitchen Notes
This is a very nice beverage that is both refreshing and light. The addition of mint and cardamom gives the limeade a lovely combo of spice and herb on the background of the mango and the lime. Feel free to adjust the mint and cardamom amounts to your liking. I found it was best with 4 cups sparkling water. —Stephanie Bourgeois
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
1 pound bag frozen mango, thawed, or 3 cups fresh mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into large chunks
-
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar
-
1 T grated lime zest + 1/2 cup juice from 4 to 5 limes
-
10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the back of a knife
-
1 cup loosely packed mint (basil or a combination of mint/basil can be substituted))
-
Sparkling water
-
thinly sliced limes and mint for garnish
Directions
-
In a bowl of a food processor, combine mango and lime juice and process until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing down and scraping back and forth with a spatula to extract as much of the mango-lime juice as possible. Also make sure to scrape the underside of the strainer into your bowl -- just make sure you rinse your spatula first! You should have about 2 cups of mango-lime juice. Chill until ready to use.
-
To make the mint simple syrup, combine the sugar, 1 cup water, lime zest, cardamom pods, and mint in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until a thin syrup forms. Pass the syrup through a strainer into a bowl or measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup of mint simple syrup. Chill until ready to use.
-
When ready to serve, combine the chilled mango-lime juice and mint simple syrup in a 1.5 quart or larger pitcher. Stir to combine, then add sparkling water. I find about 4 cups to be right, but add more or less to get the dilution you prefer. Pour into glasses filled with lots of ice. Garnish with lime wedges and mint.
See what other Food52ers are saying.