Hop, Skip and Go Nica!

We're a few months into "winter," the rainy season here, where it thunderstorms at least once a day. I love this time of year: the weather is more fresh, lightning is awesome, and --- Some new fruits just came into season! Have I mentioned how fleeting the seasons are here? They can be as short as 30 days for some produce. But when it rains, it pours (yes, pun very much intended)... every street vendor sells them, by the baggie, most often with vinegar, chile and salt.

nancite; flavored like over-ripe banana/pear

mamones; like astringent, mild lychees

Nancite are tiny, with mostly peel/seed/dry pulp, so there's not much to cook with. Both they and mamones come in bunches too big to finish, so I combined the extra fruit and macerated the mixture with plain white sugar and water. This turned into a thick, sweet syrup. I've had wine made from nancite (very very sweet), which gave me the idea to booze it up!

The first cocktail I made used soda water... but it didn't have a good sweet/bitter balance. It quickly evolved into a beer cocktail! Delicious, refreshing, seasonal!

Nica Rum Shandy

• 2 ounces Flor de Caña extra lite
• 1 ounce sour orange juice
• 2 ounces strained nancite/mamon fresco
• 4 ounces of Victoria beer