What is the point where we actually start calling a drink a Tiki cocktail? Sure, if there is a whole series of exotic juices intermingling in a potpourri of different rums and a burning volcano of overproof alcohol is loudly shouting “TIKI !!!!” directly in your face, you might be dealing with a tiki cocktail. A cocktail umbrella is usually an equally reliable sign. And for some “purists” Tiki is probably everything with a touch of pineapple or other exotic fruits.

Today’s cocktail is actually a rather unpretentious representative of the Tiki genre and so some may think that it is not really a Tiki drink at all. However, Orgeat and mango juice somehow point in this direction. However, the base spirit is Bourbon. In a world that is otherwise characterized by Rums, Rhums, Falernums and the likes is a world where the old southerner might feel a little bit unfamiliar. The number of tiki drinks based on bourbon is correspondingly quite small.

And even today’s drink is originally a variant of a variant of a Whiskey Sour, thus it is quasi virtually a kind of second degree Tiki drink. Trader Vic developed the Eastern Sour as a twist on the great Whiskey Sour with the addition of orgeat and orange juice. Today, the Mango Overboard banishes the orange from the recipe and replaces it with mango juice instead. And mango juice can be a little bit tricky when you want to shop it: if you buy it at the supermarket, you will mostly likely get a juice that is not a 100 percent pure but stretched with other juices and also sugar in most cases. Therefore I always make mango juice in the juicer myself. Along with some orgeat, a little normal sugar syrup, lemon and an aromatic bourbon this is a nice combination. And since the suspicion of being a tiki drink is present, it may also be a stronger Bourbon like the 1776 100 Proof Bourbon. The Mango Overboard by the way is not my own creation, instead I’ve discovered it on the “Modern Tiki” blog. A nice, fairly simple recipe which I would like to share and recommend for the summer (even if I have minimized the sugar part a tiny bit).

Recipe “Mango Overboard”:

6 cl 1776 100 Proof Bourbon
6 cl mango juice (from the juicer)
3 cl lemon juice
0.75 cl Orgeat
0.5 cl sugar syrup

Preparation: Shake all the ingredients vigorously on ice and double-strain in a glass filled with fresh ice cubes.

Glass: Tumbler

Garnish: Mint

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online. Fresh mangoes can be found in (almost) every supermarket.