Banana Mango Tango

Memorial Day is traditionally the kick-off for summer so with that we thought we should spend some time this weekend concocting some new summertime rum drinks.  We assessed the array of bottles in the liquor cabinet, went to the store and purchased a few more, then set out to create a new summertime favorite.

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After a few less than stellar entries, we came up with what we felt was a winner that we’ll enjoy and  serve to some of our guests this summertime! We felt the banana and mango “tangoed” nicely together in this light and refreshing drink. So now, we introduce to you the Rum Therapy Banana Mango Tango!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Banana Mango Tango

The banana and mango “tango” nicely together in this light and refreshing drink. A new summertime favorite!
Course: Drinks
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. Cruzan Mango Rum
  • 1/2 c. Pineapple Juice
  • 1/4 Peeled Mango
  • 1/2 Large Banana
  • 1/2 oz. Cruzan Black Strap Rum

Instructions

  • Blend the mango, banana, pineapple juice and Cruzan Mango Rum in a blender.
  • Add approximately 1 cup of ice and blend until smooth.
  • Pour into glasses.
  • Float 1/4 oz. Cruzan Black Strap Rum on top of each drink and garnish with banana slices.

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

More Cruzan Strawberry Rum

Strawberry Daiquiri

6 cups ice
1/2 cup white sugar
4 ounces frozen strawberries
1/8 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup Cruzan Strawberry Rum
1/4 cup lemon lime flavored carbonated beverage

Blend in blender.

The recipe made approximately 4 tall glasses of daiquiris and although pretty darn sweet and filling – they were yummy. John later thought that we should have added a floater of Cruzan Black Strap for a little extra punch.

Last, but not least, we put aside a Strawberry Rum Lemonade recipe that included simple syrup to try another “skinny” recipe. Hey – you gotta save calories somewhere!! This is what we came up with.

Skinny Strawberry Rum Lemonade

2 oz. Cruzan Strawberry Rum
4 oz. Crystal Light Lemonade
Sliced strawberries
4 to 6 blueberries

Mix Cruzan Strawberry Rum with the Crystal Light Lemonade. Stir in sliced strawberries and blueberries. Pour over ice.
The result was refreshing and light with a nice blend of strawberry and lemon. And who knows, with all that fruit, it might even be good for you!

Cruzan Strawberry Rum

Cruzan Rum recently announced the launch of their newest spirit, Cruzan Strawberry. It’s the 11th spirit in their family of flavored rums, and the recipe is crafted with a touch of ginger to give a unique spin to the strawberry taste. Here are some other details:

Tasting Notes and Aroma:
•       Taste – Ripe, wild strawberry coupled with subtle ginger root
•       Aroma – Fresh and juicy strawberry
•       Finish – Smooth with a light spiced ginger finish

After reading this press release from the folks at Cruzan Rum, we’d been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Strawberry Rum. We’re recent fans of Cruzan Rums since our Cruzan Rum Factory Tour in St. Croix in February, and have enjoyed using the Cruzan flavored rums in many boat and beach drinks such as the Cruzan Confusion! Last week, we were lucky enough to find a bottle of the newly released Cruzan Strawberry Rum after visiting nearly every liquor store in our area. 

After scoring the desired bottle, we asked our Facebook friends for recipe suggestions. In addition to some excellent suggestions from our readers, Cruzan Rum Representative, Justine, also kindly volunteered a few recipe ideas. We asked a couple of friends if they would assist us in some Strawberry Rum recipe testing this weekend, and with minimal (no) arm twisting, they obliged!

We picked two recipes to start with and began to assemble the necessary ingredients.

First on the agenda was a Strawberry Mojito using the recipe from Cruzan Rum. The recipe called for Cruzan Strawberry Rum, sugar, mint leaves, juice of half a lime, and club soda. We muddled the sugar, mint, lime juice and a splash of club soda.

 We then added the rum (note the exceptional choice of shot glass!),


Then poured it over ice in a tall glass and garnished with lime and strawberry.

After a little sampling and tweaking, this is the version of the recipe that we liked best.

Strawberry Mojito
(makes two)

3 to 3.5 oz. Cruzan Strawberry Rum
2 tsp. sugar
4 mint leaves
Juice of half a lime
6 oz. plus a splash of club soda

Muddle the mint leaves, sugar, lime juice and a splash of club soda. Add the remaining club soda and stir. Pour into a tall glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of lime and a strawberry.

It seems easy to overpower the taste of the strawberry with too much mint, so we initially tried 8 leaves then reduced the amount to 4 leaves per serving. The overwhelming consensus of all 4 taste testers was that the Cruzan Strawberry Mojito was crisp, light and very refreshing – an excellent summer beverage!

To make a Skinny Strawberry Mojito: Substitute 1/2 – 1 packet (.5 – 1 gram) Stevia for the sugar and/or Sprite Zero for the club soda. Tweak the amounts until the taste is just as you like it!

Stay tuned – more Cruzan Strawberry Rum Recipes (Part 2) in tommorow’s post!

photos: Pamela Ott

Frozen Rum Runners

Yum. As summer approaches my mind drifts to frozen concoctions and enjoying the warm sunshine with a frosty glass in hand. One of my favorite frozen concoctions happens to be a Rum Runner. Kind of like an icee with a really good kick!

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Everyone seems to have a little different recipe for Rum Runners and I’ve only sampled one that I didn’t care for (I think it may have been a really cheap rum). We’ve sampled them frozen and on the rocks. Some have a reddish hue and some (like the picture below) are more orange in color. Regardless, sipping one of these may make your mind take a short vacation to a place with a hammock swaying in a tropical breeze on the coast of somewhere beautiful….

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Frozen Rum Runner

Kind of like an icee with a really good kick!
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. Gold Rum
  • 1/4 oz. Blackberry Liqueur
  • 1/4 oz. Creme De Banana Liqueur
  • 2 oz. Orange Juice
  • 1/2 oz. Grenadine
  • 8 oz. Crushed Ice
  • 1/2 oz. Dark or 151-Proof Rum (the floater)

Instructions

  • Add gold rum, blackberry liqueur, creme de banana liqueur, orange juice, grenadine and crushed ice in a blender.
  •  Blend until slushy and pour into glass.
  • Float with 1/2 oz. dark or 151 proof rum.

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC