Mango Lassi Cocktail

Mango lassi gets all grown up in this cocktail version. Mix with rum or vodka based on your preference. Or leave it out to enjoy the classic version! Top with crushed pistachios for extra flair.

Welcome to the first month of the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Project hosted by Camilla Mann of Culinary Adventures with Camilla! Eleven fellow bloggers joined her for a year-long exploration of recipes from The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp. Each month a blogger will choose a recipe and host a round up of posts featuring other bloggers’ musings and variations on the selected recipe. Any blogger can join in! Visit Camilla’s blog to learn how you can participate, follow on social media with the hashtag #thebookclubcookbookCC, and follow the Pinterest board. Heck, there’s even a giveaway for the cookbook at the end of this post!

For this month’s selection, Camilla chose Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Houghton Mifflin, 1999), found on page 198 of The Book Club Cookbook. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies is a compilation of nine short stories with protagonists whose identities straddle two cultures one of which is Indian. As such Camilla invited us to make one of two recipes: Mrs. Lahiri’s Hard-Boiled Egg Curry in Mustard Sauce or Mango Lassi. I went with the mango lassi obviously and as it is a Thursday, decided to turn it into a cocktail for Thirsty Thursday!

And a shout-out to my fellow hosting bloggers:

One year ago: SPAM Tacos

Two years ago: Peanut Butter Burgers with Slim Jim Fries and Chocolate Malted Milkshakes

Three years ago: German Chocolate S’mores Gooey Cake Bars

MANGO LASSI COCKTAIL

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup cold water

1 heaping cup chopped mango

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 oz. white rum or vodka (optional)

1 Tbsp sugar

8 ice cubes, crushed (about 3/4 cup)

Crushed pistachios for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine the water, mango, and yogurt and puree until smooth. Add the liquor (if using), sugar, and crushed ice cubes and blend again.
2. Serve chilled in a tall glass with pistachios over the top, if desired.

Source: Reproduced with permission, developed by Shikha Kapoor for Masala Art.