Tropical Distillers, Jacksonville, Fla., launches J.F. Haden’s Mango Liqueur, the first spirit to market from their brand portfolio this month. It’s a first-of-its-kind mango liqueur made from real mangoes. Each small batch is crafted and bottled in Jacksonville, FL. without preservatives, artificial colors or flavors using all-natural home-grown mangoes.
Tropical Distillers will be releasing 3,000 bottles per batch this month with a suggested retail price of $29.99 per bottle. J.F. Haden’s Mango Liqueur will first be available in fine hotels, restaurants, bars and select spirit retailers throughout Florida and additional top tier markets in the U.S.
Tropical Distillers CEO, Buzzy Sklar quickly discovered that not only were tiki-inspired cocktails on the rise, mango was one of the most favored ingredients on specialty cocktail menus. “I realized that most bars were using an artificial mango flavor or purée which is expensive and has a shelf life of only 10 days and thought, there has to be a better tasting, bartender-friendly and more cost-effective option,” he says.
Key features of the liqueur include:
— Small batching process which ensures highest quality and guarantee peak flavor, delivering a fresher tasting cocktail, an essential driver to repeat drink orders.
— Mixes perfectly with any base alcohol and has a shelf life of two years.
— Each bottle features its own unique batch number and bottle number.
— Expands over a wide range of flavor profiles pairing well with everything from prosecco to tequila.
Bartenders are already replacing Triple Sec with J.F. Haden’s Mango Liqueur in their signature margaritas as well as using it to add a tropical twist to spritzers and sangrias, the company says.
The inspiration for J.F. Haden’s Mango Liqueur is the Haden mango, dating back to 1902, first discovered and harvested in Miami, FL by way of the Haden family. Following a visit to West Palm Beach, Fla., the couple brought back 4 dozen Mulgoba fruits to plant on their property in Miami.
According to reports by the Florida Horticultural Society, some trees produced “thin, poor looking fruits,” some were elongated, while some were compact and round.
However, by 1910 everything came together on a single tree, where the fruit ripened into a blushed orange color unlike most mangoes up until that point, which simply ripened from green to yellow. In a few short years, tens of thousands of Haden mango trees popped up in Miami and throughout the state.