Thursday, July 5, 2012

A Macaroni-less Feather in the Cap


This cocktail is a Yankee Muddle Dandy, and it was born on the 4th of July. Yes, it is a pink drink for Independence Day, but that's just how we roll at our house, commie pinkos that we are (I mean, if Obama is a socialist, what does that make me?). Even with the sun in hiding for the day here in Santa Barbara, we decided it was time for a drink meant for summer and grilling. We didn't try it this way, having done just one test batch, but it would probably be great with a jalapeno/serrano in the muddling process to give it a bit of zing, too. Seed or not depending upon how hot you like things.

Yankee Muddle Dandy
(makes 2 cocktails)

1/4 a shaker full of watermelon sliced thin
leaves from 5 sprigs of mint
juice of one average-sized lime
4 oz. Hangar One Mandarin Blossom vodka
1 oz. Citronge
mint tops and watermelon wedges for garnish

Slice up some watermelon thin (this is why god made personal-sized watermelons--so you can butcher them for cocktails and still feel good about yourself) and put that in a cocktail shaker. Fill about 1/4 of the way. Pull of the leaves of 5 sprigs of mint and add to the shaker. Juice the lime directly into the shaker. Muddle, and don't be polite about it--you want to bruise those mint leaves so they express their oils and want the melon to mush a lot. Add the vodka, Citronge (or a Cointreau-ish liqueur of your choice), and a lot of ice. Shake the shaker well.

Get out a strainer, as it will be easy to get mint floaties or seeds into the drink if you're not careful. Pour into two, chilled up/martini glasses. Float the mint top and afix the watermelon wedge--so make it a dainty wedge--to the glass rim.

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