mango, orange and rum punch

bewitching

jim and i fell under the spell of fruit and rum drinks on a vacation in puerto rico where we rented a little beach place with a galley kitchen and a blender. the hex started to take hold on our first trip to the small-town grocery store in aguadilla, luring us down an aisle stocked entirely with rum. at the end were big refrigerated cases of ice that sparked ideas for chilly concoctions to whip up with fruit.

in the evenings, after the sun and surf, we played cards in the shade of our porch, and we watched the far off ships that cruised to and from san juan. as we sipped our fiendish, frosty potations, the breezes blew through and sent the smoke from the grill down the beach to a chihuahua named, carolyn. after a little while, she would scamper up the steps for table scraps and belly rubs, casting her own canine spell over our hearts.

we brought back the incantation for our rum elixirs, and now we blend them at home when the heat index rises. this particular recipe is wickedly good so be careful . . . it's been known to make the drinker tongue-tied.

 ingredients (makes a syrup for 6-8 drinks)

• 1 ripe mango

• 2 oranges

• 2 lemons
• pineapple rum

• dark rum

• lemon perrier

• drambuie

directions

1. halve the mango lengthwise by cutting it away from the seed. scoop the flesh away from the skin and put it into the blender.

2. halve the oranges and lemons and squeeze the juice into the blender.

3. to make the syrup, blend the mangos, orange and lemon juices to a thick purée.

4. pour three ounces of the syrup into a a shaker. add 1 oz. of dark rum, 1 oz. of pineapple rum, 1/2 oz. of drambuie, and 1/2 cup of crushed ice. shake until the ice is almost melted.

5. pour the drink into a glass of crushed ice, and top with lemon perrier. stir . . . sip, slowly.