Note - Before buying the mangoes, sniff them: they should have a pleasant, sweet aroma. For the bubbles, choose a not-too-sweet sparkling wine, such as a French cremant de Bourgogne or an Italian prosecco. For a nonalcoholic cocktail, mix with ginger ale.

Hold a mango stem-end up and slice flesh away from the long flat stone in long, vertical sections. Slice the flesh from the skin. Repeat these steps with the remaining mangoes. Cut 12 thin, uniform slices for garnish and set them aside. Press the remaining mango slices through a strainer into a bowl. (You should have 1 1/2 cups mango puree.) Stir in curacao, lime juice and sugar. (The mango puree and garnish can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead and stored in spearate covered containers in the refrigerator). Pour about 2 Tbsp. Mango puree into a glass, top with sparkling wine, garnish with a lime wedge and a mango slice and serve.

Entered by: Diane Pahl (1:2410/120) Recipes

Magazine of Food and Health (tm) Issn 1064-16399