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Every Monday night, my husband and I enjoy a quiet dinner for two,  even though we have four children.  As he has a late meeting and Monday is my busy day at the office, we dine around 8:30 or 9:00.  While it means waiting to eat, it is well worth it for candlelight and conversation for two.

For our special dinner, we usually try to choose a theme, whether it be based on a certain ingredient, an ethnicity, or style of cooking.  A few weeks ago, we decided to make an assortment of Thai dishes.  I have not done much Thai cooking, so it required a little research.

I found great recipes for chicken satay and spring rolls.  However, the beverage component of the meal left me wondering.  What sort of cocktail or martini could I serve that would fit the Thai genre?  A little more searching led me to mangoes.  A popular fruit in Thailand, I could use mango juice in our drink.

Although a mango cocktail sounded delicious, I didn’t want the drink to be heavy because of the juice.  Adding champagne would produce a lighter, sparkling drink, which made it the perfect addition to our dinner.

Mango Cocktail

3 oz. mango juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1-1/2 oz. vodka

1/2 tsp. sugar

champagne

Fill a martini shaker with ice, and add mango and lime juices, vodka, and sugar.  Shake well.  Pour into a martini glass, and top with champagne.