Prepare a pineapple and mango mocktail with sparkling water

What this tropical mocktail is and when to make it

This Tropical Mocktail is a blended pineapple and mango base lifted with sparkling water. It comes from a two-serving recipe published by Spice it up! in Spring 2021. Ripe fruit, lime juice, a little vanilla and crushed ice are blended smooth, and the sparkling water is stirred in after blending, directly in each glass. The result is a cold, fruity, fizzy drink with no alcohol in the recipe itself. It suits serving two people, and it scales easily for a larger group if you keep the sparkling water separate until you pour.

Ingredients for two servings

• 1/2 cup cubed ripe pineapple
• 1/2 cup cubed ripe mango
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (see the alcohol-free option below)
• 1/2 cup crushed ice, for blending
• 2 tbsp crushed ice, for finishing (1 tbsp per glass)
• 1 cup low-sodium sparkling water (1/2 cup per glass)
• 2 lime slices, for garnish

Equipment

• Blender
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Two glasses
• A spoon for stirring
• A knife and board for cubing fruit and slicing lime
• Optional: a home sparkling-water maker, if you are carbonating your own water

Choosing an alcohol-free vanilla

The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. If you want every ingredient to be alcohol-free, choose a vanilla made without alcohol. One example is Nielsen-Massey Alcohol-Free Vanilla. Its listed ingredients are glycerin, water and vanilla bean extractives, and the manufacturer says plant-based glycerin replaces the alcohol and that no alcohol is present. Using it here is your own substitution. Neither the recipe nor the manufacturer says it will taste or behave exactly like regular extract in this drink, so taste the base before you pour.

Step-by-step method

• 1. Cube the ripe pineapple and mango and measure 1/2 cup of each.
• 2. Put the pineapple, mango, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup crushed ice into the blender.
• 3. Blend until smooth. If you still see chunks of fruit or ice, keep blending.
• 4. Divide the blended mixture evenly between two glasses.
• 5. Add 1/2 cup sparkling water to each glass and stir to combine.
• 6. Top each glass with 1 tbsp crushed ice and a lime slice. Serve.

The order matters at one point: the sparkling water never goes into the blender. Blending the fruit, lime, vanilla and ice first, then adding the water in the glass, is how the recipe brings in carbonation after the mixing is done.

How to judge progress and the finished drink

• After blending: the base should look smooth, with no visible fruit pieces or ice chunks. The recipe gives no blending time, so judge by texture rather than the clock.
• After portioning: both glasses should hold about the same amount of base, so the 1/2 cup of water gives each drink the same strength.
• After adding water: stir until the base and sparkling water are combined rather than sitting in separate layers.
• At serving: each glass has fresh crushed ice on top and a lime slice.

Making your own sparkling water

Store-bought low-sodium sparkling water works as written. If you would rather carbonate water at home, follow your machine's own instructions. For the SENSEation sparkling water maker, the manufacturer's steps are as follows.

• 1. Fill the bottle with cold water to the fill line.
• 2. Secure the bottle in the machine as directed.
• 3. Press fully for 1–2 seconds, then release. Repeat three times.
• 4. Bring the bottle fully forward before removing it.
• 5. Add any flavors only after carbonating.

Those instructions cover plain water only. Do not put the blended fruit mixture, or anything else, into the machine. Carbonate the water by itself, then measure it into the glasses at step 5 of the method.

Scaling up for a group

Each batch makes two servings, so multiply by the number of batches you need. For example, four batches make eight servings and need 4 cups of sparkling water. Blend the fruit base in batches, or all at once if your blender has room. Keep the sparkling water sealed and separate until assembly, then add 1/2 cup to each glass at the moment of serving.

Preparation worksheet