It's that time of year when we have a cornucopia of fresh Florida produce to use for cocktails. With an opportunity to make a bevy of delicious beverages from what's available, you've gotta wonder why anyone would want to incorporate soda. So, we're featuring one my favorite seasonal mixers this week: watermelon.
Watermelon works so well in cocktails because it's light, tasty and doesn't overpower any other ingredients. On the Sauce has used the fruit in drinks like the Watermelon-Cucumber Gimlet and Jalapeño-Watermelon Cocktail. But we're going straight-up summertime with a Watermelon Daiquiri.
You might be familiar with the strawberry or frozen varieties of daiquiris, but the original recipe, supposedly invented in Cuba in the early 1900s, is simply white rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Ernest Hemingway may be one of the most famous daiquiri drinkers, though the one named for him — created at his favorite bar, El Floridita — highlights grapefruit, another in-season fruit you can enjoy right now.
Give my twist on this classic a try. The addition of watermelon juice makes for a highly drinkable, ultra-refreshing cocktail that's in tune with the temps outside.
Watermelon Daiquiri
Makes 1
1 quarter slice watermelon, juiced and strained
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, nuked and stirred to dissolve)
Cut watermelon into cubes and add red flesh to a blender. Puree until liquified. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, then let sit for 5 minutes to separate the juice from the pulp. (A quarter slice of watermelon will yield enough juice for about 5-6 cocktails.) In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 3 ounces watermelon juice, rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake until chilled. In a Tom Collins glass filled with ice, strain in cocktail and garnish with a lime or watermelon wedge.
Follow CL contributor Chris Fasick (@cfasick) on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there's a cocktail or recipe you'd like featured.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 4, 2017.
