Absolut Mango Vodka

In March of 2009 Absolut Vodka released its tenth flavored vodka to the United States market. Prior to this the mango-infused vodka has been available in some South American markets where the company claims it had great success due to the use of the fruit in Latin cuisine. The release of Absolut Mango is timely, as mango has seen its way into more and more cocktails as of late and the vodka is a nice use of the flavor.

Absolut Mango is exactly what I expected. It's smooth, full of fruit and a great cocktail base - a typical Absolut infused vodka. The choice of mango is nice and is one that only the other giants of vodka have taken on, which is great for all of us who love to play with infusions because we can rest assured that mango will almost certainly always be available. From memory, the Absolut Mango experience was similar to that of other mangos. It's a nice flavor and is rising in popularity, plus, this is an easy way to get some mango in your drinks when the fresh fruits are out of season.

Mango is a flavor that hasn't been common in cocktails prior to recent years and this is refreshing because it requires a whole new thinking on flavor profiles. This vodka is fantastic for bringing some tropical flavors to the apple of a Apple Martini and the melon of aGreentini and the creative side could pair it with banana, citrus, and even vanilla and caramel. It is in cocktails where Absolut Mango shines - alone it's nothing spectacular - and the drinks from its launch like the Sage Lady and Mango Spice are great examples of its possibilities.

I am wholly impressed with it when matched with spice in particular. That may be due to my desire for more Absolut New Orleans, which paired mango and pepper, and sparks an idea of a cocktail that includes both Mango and Peppar in some fashion (I'll be sure to pass that along if anything comes out of it).