Peel and dice one medium ripe mango (about 1 cup diced). Place the mango pieces in a blender and puree until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds. If the mango is very fibrous, press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove fibers. You should end up with approximately 3/4 cup of mango puree.

Muddle & Combine

Muddle the mint

In a cocktail shaker, place the packed mint leaves and the Meyer lemon zest with the simple syrup (0.5 oz). Gently muddle 6–8 times—just enough to bruise the mint and release oils without shredding leaves (about 5–8 seconds).

Add liquids

Add the mango puree (0.75 cup), fresh Meyer lemon juice (0.75 oz), white rum (2 oz) and bitters (if using) to the shaker.

Shake with ice

Fill the shaker with ice (about 1 cup) and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is cold and well-chilled.

Strain & Serve

Double-strain the cocktail into a chilled Collins or highball glass filled with fresh ice using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove mint bits and any mango pulp that remains.

If you prefer a lighter, fizzy drink, top the cocktail with 2 oz club soda and gently stir once to combine. Taste and adjust: add up to 0.25 oz more simple syrup if you prefer sweeter, or a small squeeze more Meyer lemon juice if you want brighter acidity.

Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a Meyer lemon wheel or twist. Optionally, slap the mint sprig between your palms once to release aroma before garnishing.

Notes

To make the recipe non-alcoholic: replace rum with an additional 2 oz of club soda and omit bitters. To batch for a party, multiply the mango puree, lemon juice, simple syrup and rum by the number of servings and keep chilled; add ice and soda individually when serving to preserve carbonation.