Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 9 – Mango on 34th Street. In hindsight I should have called this, “Mezcal on 34th Street” as that sounds closer to “Miracle on 34th Street.” Alas, this is what happens when you create, shoot, and name 24 cocktails in the span of a week and a half – there are bound to be a few mistakes and missed opportunities.
Although this is my third consecutive year running Let’s Get Blitzen, 2020 is the first year I had all my recipes developed and content shot before December 1st.
In a way, it’s been an enormous relief to have developed all the recipes and captured all the imagery well in advance of December, for once I’m not scrambling to make a cocktail at mid-day and capture the light before the sun sets at 4 p.m.
On the other hand, I’ve created quite a bit more work for myself by integrating an interactive element and shaking up each cocktail on my virtual happy hour series on Instagram.
I wanted to pre-release an eBook with all 24 recipes to make it easier for the folks at home to follow along. Sourcing the ingredients and preparing the syrups for two dozen drinks is certainly not the work of a moment.
Thus far, I’ve been absolutely dazzled by the commitment and dedication from my little community of blog readers and Instagram followers. People are joining in from Texas to Moose Jaw and all sorts of places in between.
It’s really heartwarming to see how much people are enjoying the process and being surprised by how much they like one cocktail or another, even if they don’t normally like gin or don’t care for whiskey.
I know there are at least three people who intend to make every single tipple from the calendar and I sincerely applaud the effort.
This Mango on 34th Street is our first agave-based cocktail and has great dimensionality thanks to the use of both tequila blanco and a smoky mezcal. Margarita lovers are sure to enjoy this one!
I had intended to garnish this drink with a slice of mango fashioned into the shape of a star but didn’t have any star-shaped cookie cutters and my freehand attempts were pretty sad. Instead, I’ve opted for this snowflake shape which might be mistaken for a gear in a piece of machinery, but, as always, it’s about participation, not perfection!
Mango on 34th Street
- 1½ oz tequila blanco
- ½ oz mezcal
- ½ oz mango juice
- ½ oz lime juice
- ½ oz cinnamon syrup
- Garnish: mango cut into a snowflake or star
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
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Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake over ice until well-chilled.
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Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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Garnish with a mango slice shaped into a snowflake (with a cookie cutter or knife).
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Combine sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature overnight.
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Remove cinnamon sticks and store syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
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