Spirits | United States | Matchbook Distilling | Flamingo Riviera Mango Chili Liqueur
Flamingo Riviera Mango Chili Liqueur
NOTES
From the Leslie -
Building Matchbook the last 5 years has been a big adventure -- so big in fact, there hasn't been much room for adventures outside of these walls. But it was my best friends birthday and she was moving, and she wanted to take a road trip through the Yucatán.
Riviera Flamingo was the last street name we'd read on our journey to our 2 day home in the Biósfera, after which there was our odometer and some landmarks left to guide us. Kilometers before Riviera Flamingo, we were looking for a snack and stumbled upon a paletas shop behind an unassuming door in a stand-alone strip mall with mostly unoccupied stalls. Behind that door awaited a treasure trove of the most delicious paletas we'd ever tasted.
The star was a mango popsicle with chunks of fruit and lots of tajin style chili / lime / sugar / salt. Something about these surprise paletas finding us on the last leg of our journey before finding our way to our home in la Biósfera Ría Lagartos made this Popsicle really stand out. It was a refreshing, invigorating and delicious treat that carried us over the line.. where this bottle we're releasing today became all but destined.
Mango season greeted me as soon as I was home. We ordered several cases and peeled each one, striking the fruit to improve the maceration. We added the mangos to distillates of fresh Persian limes and black lime we had resting in Demi’s. We let it macerate for about a year before we started adding the chili’s.. chili de arbol, chili ancho, chili guajillo and pasilla.
If you've spent any time in Mexico, you're familiar with Tajin - undeniably a cultural icon of Mexico. Tajín seasoning is often used to sprinkle over fresh fruits like mango, watermelon, and pineapple, as well as on vegetables, meats, snacks, and beverages. The spiciness of the chili peppers, the tanginess of the lime, and the saltiness come together to create a vibrant and zesty flavor profile that enhances the natural taste of the ingredients it's paired with. We chose the arbol, ancho, guajillo and pasilla chilis to create a version of the Tajin spice blend -- adding the whole, dried chilis to the mango maceration. We let that sit for several months before straining it and proofing it with a syrup made with those same chilis.
Flamingo Riviera sits at 20% ABV and it tastes like sweet mangos with a big chili profile - a bit spicy, a bit tangy, a little smokey, with a touch of raisin and fruit. We're going to be splashing this into every drink while we clutch on to summer…