Watermelon Gin Punch

Before the dog days of summer steal your lust for ripe, mouth watering, decently priced produce, and thirst quenching adult beverages… make this punch!

Refreshing, flavorful, crisp, cold, and oh, so, drinkable – this punch is perfect for entertaining, or drinking all by yourself.

There’s something reassuring about drinking with fruit involved – feels a little less naughty.  The grittiness of the watermelon pulp is a lovely reminder.

I will make a small plea that you stay true to the Hendrick’s – as it is THE jam.  Never a gin drinker, I became a quick convert when introduced to this stuff.  With a cucumber base, it doesn’t conjure memories of my mother’s Tanqueray and tonics, and the idea that she was drinking a pine tree.  If you must stray from Hendrick’s, stick to a milder gin, like Plymouth.

For a different flavor profile, I’d love to try this again with sweet basil.

Cheers!

Ingredients:

One-half small round seedless watermelon (about 3-1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into large chunks

1/2 c fresh lemon juice, strained

1/2 c simple syrup

8 sprigs fresh mint; more for garnish

2 cups Hendrick’s gin

Directions:

Working in batches if necessary, purée the watermelon in a blender or food processor and press the purée through a strainer. You’ll need about 4 cups of juice—it’s fine if there’s some pulp in the juice. Chill.

Put the lemon juice, simple syrup, and mint in a 3-quart serving pitcher or a punch bowl and mash the mint thoroughly with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon. Add about 4 cups of ice, the gin, and the watermelon juice and stir.

Serve in rocks glasses over ice. Garnish with mint sprigs.

From Fine Cooking

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