Groningen does a lot of things well, but reliable sunshine is not one of them. So we built our own escape hatch. Tropical is the smoothie we reach for when the sky turns that particular shade of Dutch grey: one sip of mango, pineapple and coconut and you're somewhere with palm trees, at least until the cup is empty.

In the blender: mango, pineapple, banana and a generous splash of coconut, served properly ice-cold. That's the whole recipe. No syrups, no powders, nothing pretending to be fruit. Just the real thing, thick enough to stand a straw in.

It's also the best defence against the weather we know. Sunny terrace day? Tropical works. Horizontal rain on the Herestraat? Tropical works harder. This is the smoothie that sells fastest when people need a little sunshine, which around here is most of the year.