An Inspired Cook

Happy Cinco de Mayo all! Cinco de Mayo has always been one of our favorite holidays to celebrate with spicy food and drinks. I have to admit I rarely drink alcohol but I do enjoy a good margarita now and then. It’s just as tasty to leave out the alcohol and make it a mocktail. Mangonada margaritas are made with chamoy sauce and are a favorite among New Mexicans. What is chamoy sauce? Well, it’s described as a salty, sweet, sour and spicy sauce made from a combination of dried fruits such as apricots, mangos or plums with chili powder, salt and sugar. Many of our farmer’s markets or outdoor arts & craft fairs will have a booth selling these tasty chamoy margaritas in a mason jar with lime and Tajin seasoning around the rim. They can be made with other citrus and tropical fruits but mango seems to be the most popular. The explosion of flavors is like nothing you’ll ever taste. I love the tangy salty flavors that are blended with the sweet fruit, spicy chamoy and Tajin spices. And, one day while I was in Spouts Market, I found a bag of spicy chamoy gummi worms . . . OMG they are amazing and fun to put a couple in your margarita! So cute and tasty too. If you haven’t tried one of these tasty drinks, it’s time to make one. You will be happy you did!

The first thing you need is some ripe mangos. Any fruit you use will taste better and blend better if it is ripe and softened. I usually set my mangos out on the counter until they feel soft. There are other varieties of mangos but this is what found today. I will need approximately 4 cups of mango pulp for this recipe.

When the mangos are soft to the touch, peel and cut into small cubes.

Package 4 cups of mango’s in zip lock bags and freeze them. I usually buy mango and pineapple on sale to put up in the freezer, that way any time I want a smoothie or frozen margarita it’s frozen and ready to go.

When you are ready to make your margarita, pull out the 4 cups of frozen mangos and assemble your ingredients. Letting them sit at room temperature for just a few minutes will make them easier to puree. You’ll need lime juice and Tajin seasoning to coat the rim of your glass. And for the margarita you’ll need lime juice, orange juice, orange extract or orange liqueur, mango nectar, agave nectar, chamoy sauce, crushed ice and tequila. I added a couple of chamoy gummy worms to the drink just because they taste so good.

Take a wedge of lime and run along the rim of your glass.

Sprinkle Tajin seasoning on a small plate and place the glass upside down and roll around the outside edge to coat the glass with the seasoning.

It should look somewhat like this.

Start adding your margarita ingredients to the blender. First comes the ice and frozen mango. Try to break apart the mango chunks so that they will blend more easily.

Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice.

Add the orange juice and orange extract.

And the agave nectar.

Add the mango nectar and 6 ounces of tequila.

Blend on medium high speed until pureed. It should be smooth and slightly thick.

Pour the frozen margarita into your glass, add 2 tablespoons of chamoy sauce to each glass and use a straw to make a swirl through the frozen mango margarita. Garnish with a slice of lime and a couple of chamoy gummi worms.

Mangonada Margaritas

4 cups Mango, peeled, diced and frozen
1 cup Ice, crushed
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
*1/2 cup Orange Juice + 1 tablespoon Orange Extract OR substitute 1/4 cup Orange Liqueur + 1/4 cup Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Agave Nectar
1/2 cup Mango Nectar
6 ounces Tequila, opt out if you’d rather make it a mocktail
2 tablespoons Chamoy Sauce
Lime Wedges and Tajin Seasoning to make a Tajin rimmed glass
Garnish with Lime Slices and Chamoy Gummi Worms

Prepare glasses: Sprinkle Tajin seasoning on a plate. Use a lime wedge to run along the glass, then dip the rim of the glass into the Tajin and roll to coat the outer edge of the glass.

Place crushed ice and frozen mango in a blender. Add the lime juice, orange juice and extract, agave nectar, mango nectar and tequila. Blend on medium high speed until the mixture has become smooth.

Spoon mango puree into the prepared glass and drizzle chamoy around the edges just inside the glass. Use a straw to swirl the chamoy through the mango mixture. Garnish with a lime slice and chamoy gummi worms.