Cîroc Mango Flavoured Vodka

Ciroc is unusual among vodkas in starting from French grapes rather than grain, distilled five times at the Distillerie de Chevanceaux in the south of France. Grapes give the spirit a soft, slightly creamy and naturally fruity character, which is why the Ciroc base takes so well to fruit flavours, and the Mango edition leans hard into that. Sun-ripened mango is built onto the grape spirit and the whole thing is bottled at 37.5 percent, a touch lower than a standard vodka, which keeps the fruit forward and the texture easy.

The nose is intensely fruity, dominated by ripe mango with a hint of citrus. The palate is soft and creamy, with tropical sweetness, juicy mango and a fine freshness, finishing long and fruity. With that grape softness and ripe mango already in place, the serve that flatters it most is a sparkling one: half-fill a flute or coupe with the chilled vodka and top with a dry sparkling wine, so the bubbles cut through the creamy sweetness and the mango reads as a bright tropical aperitif.