Juicy, refreshing and distinctly seasonal, the watermelon’s crowd-pleasing tendency is self-explanatory. However, since its ’90s heyday when the fruit starred in candy ’tinis and slushy cocktails, the oft-maligned “fundamental” watermelon cocktail has grown up.
In immediately’s watermelon cocktail canon there are, after all, subtle takes on the standard suspects, such because the Sandia Stormking, an replace to the watermelon Margarita the place the fruit infuses the tequila; or the Watermelon Cucumber Cooler, the place a pinch of wasabi salt intensifies the flavour. However there are additionally new codecs altogether that use the easy-drinking nature of watermelon to introduce sudden or difficult flavors. In Lynnette Marrero and John Ware’s Meloncholia, for instance, a base of pisco, rosé and watermelon juice is paired with ginger syrup and some dashes of a habanero tincture for a drink that’s equal components stunning and crushable. Orlando Franklin McCray’s two-ingredient Watermelon Pastis, in the meantime, might be an approachable first style of anise-forward pastis, a comparatively unfamiliar spirit stateside.
Above all, whether or not it’s thrown right into a punch, spritz or swizzle, the watermelon cocktail ought to keep true to its signature easy-drinking nature. Listed below are our favourite recipes that showcase all that the summer season fruit can do.
