My Favorite Summer Cocktail - #2

Having grown up picking fresh berries in the backyard and having relatives with apple, pear, cherry, and apricot orchards, I have a hard time eating fruit bought from the grocery store.  But, I need to get more fruit in my diet, as many of us probably do.  Hmmm, how to solve that problem and enjoy it?!  Having discovered the lusciousness of fresh mangos on a trip to Mexico, I thought the Mango Cooler was a perfect way to up the fruit quotient. The mango comes across as the predominant flavor but its sweetness is balanced by the tartness of the citrus. In the hot summer nights approaching we'll be making a pitcher of this and hanging out on the porch listening to the world go on around us.

The original recipe comes from an old and very battered copy of the Playboy's New Bar Guide from the mid-70s that we inherited from my folks when they stopped making cocktails (that and a bowling-ball-themed bartenders set).  It cracks me up to think of my parents as hipster cocktail slingers in the day, but they were and I love them even more for it.
 
Ingredients

• 3 ounces mango nectar (you can find this at Asian markets if it isn't available in your grocery store)
• 1 1/2 ounces orange juice
• 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur

Stir all the ingredients together and pour over ice in a tall glass.  Garnish with an orange slice and/or mango slice if in season.  Serves 1.

Ok, ok, this is probably not the best way to get fruit into the diet, but heck, it sure tastes good!