Watermelon Margarita

With a summer theme and heatwave upon us, the WATERMELON MARGARITA sounds mighty appealing about now. Some lime juice, a splash of orange liqueur, a juicy watermelon and of course tequila will help wash away those summertime blues, or at least the dry mouth.

There are two ways to prepare the Watermelon Margarita: a frozen slushy version and a thinner on-the-rocks version. There is no real steadfast recipe, but a guide to preparation can get you there. Both versions are probably prepared best with the old trusty blender. If preparing a frozen slushy version, many like to cut their melon into cubes and leave in the freezer before mixing with ice in a blender. If serving the drink over ice, either shake the watermelon blend with ice in a cocktail shaker before straining into a glass, or simply blend everything in the blender and pour directly over ice.

Requirements: chopped watermelon, silver tequila, Cointreau or Triple Sec, fresh lime juice, lime wedge, ice, salt

Serving for 1 large glass (double the portions for 2):

• 3/4 cup seedless chopped watermelon
• fresh juice from 1 lime
• 1 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec (or .5 oz. simple syrup)
• 1/3 cup tequila
• 3/4 cup ice for frozen slushy version, or less than 1/2 cup ice when blended for “rocks” version

Crush watermelon into a measuring container. To a blender, add the watermelon, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur and ice. Blend until all ingredients are incorporated with a slushy texture for the frozen, slushy version, and pour directly into a margarita glass. Or for the rocks version, blend until mixed, transplant into an ice-filled cocktail shaker & shake until chilled (optional), and strain into an ice-filled margarita glass. If salting the glass, first rim the margarita glass with the inside of a juiced lime and dip the glass into salt before the pour or before adding ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Comments: My own preference is to drink the Watermelon Margarita on the rocks with only enough ice in the blend to pre-chill the drink. Also, if an orange liqueur isn’t on hand, you may use .5 oz. simple syrup or .75 oz. agave syrup instead. The drink will always be on the thicker side because of the melon; but it can be thinned if desired by pouring the blended watermelon through a cocktail strainer.