Tamango Recipe: Hibiscus, Tamarind and Mango Rum Sour

Ingredients

1½ oz white rume.g. Bacardi · Havana Club · Plantation · Don Q · Flor de Caña
2 oz hibiscus and ginger infusion dried hibiscus and fresh ginger steeped in hot water, then chilled
¾ oz mango purée ripe mango, blended smooth
½ oz tamarind syrup or 1 tsp tamarind paste plus 10 ml simple syrup
¼ oz lemon juice freshly squeezed

Garnish: Lemon wheel · Ice: Ice cubes

Method

For the infusion, pour 250 ml hot water over 2 tbsp dried hibiscus and 3 thin slices of ginger, steep for 10 minutes, strain and chill.
Add rum, hibiscus and ginger infusion, mango purée, tamarind syrup and lemon juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice cubes.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Watch it made

Tamango

Taste

Tart and fruity with cranberry-like hibiscus, sour tamarind, ripe mango and a warming ginger finish. Medium strength and refreshing.

History and origin

The Tamango has no documented origin. Its name recalls "Tamango", the 1829 novella by the French writer Prosper Mérimée about a revolt aboard a slave ship, which was filmed in 1958. How the name ended up on a drink is not recorded.

The flavours point to West Africa, where hibiscus drinks made from the red calyces of the roselle plant are everyday refreshments under names such as bissap, sobolo or zobo, often spiced with ginger. Tamarind and mango are just as familiar there.

Older recipes found online describe a Tamango made with pure laboratory alcohol and even acetone, and credit it with intoxicating or hallucinogenic effects. Treat those stories as myth, and never make that version: acetone is a toxic solvent. This recipe keeps the hibiscus, ginger, tamarind and mango and pairs them with ordinary rum in a balanced sour.

Bartender tips

Taste the infusion before mixing: hibiscus steeped too long turns harsh and tannic.
Tamarind products vary a lot in sourness; add the syrup in small steps and balance with lemon.
The infusion keeps for three to four days in the fridge, so make a larger batch for a party.

Variations

Tamango long drink: Build it over ice in a highball glass and top with 60 ml soda water for a lighter, fizzier version.
Alcohol-free Tamango: Leave out the rum and use 90 ml of the infusion with a splash of ginger beer.