I first got introduced to this fabulously refreshing drink one night when I came home and my roomie and a pal were sitting at the kitchen table having some drinks.
One was drinking beer and the other vino, but what intrigued me was a small bowl in the middle of them filled with watermelon that neither of them were eating, but instead just turning the pieces over every so often.
“What’s with the watermelon?” I asked.
“It’s soaking in bourbon,” they told me.
Ten minutes later when I returned to the kitchen after taking a shower there was a bourbon watermelon slushie waiting for me in the freezer.
Mm! It was delicious.
Although my roomie decided she wasn’t a big fan, I thought the sweet watermelon balanced nicely against the contrasting rough & grainy deepness of the bourbon.
So when I harvested the most GIGANTIC watermelon ever from my parents’ garden, I knew it was time to make bourbon watermelon slushies again!
The watermelon was so big I could barely carry it up the front steps and had to call for help to get it into the kitchen because it was slipping out of my hands. I swear it must have weighed 50+ lbs!
We got it up on the counter and I anticipated cutting into it. Would it be ripe? Overripe? Every other watermelon we had picked that year ended up being a bust, still green on the inside. But I didn’t see how this one could possibly get any bigger and I was worried about leaving it much longer on the vine.
I cut into it and the juice poured out; the flesh that beautiful fuchsia. It was perfect!
I’ve been enjoying the watermelon breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time! (don’t worry, I’m eating “real food” too! ; ) Nothing says SUMMERTIME to me than a big juicy piece of watermelon.
And a bourbon watermelon slushie is the perfect indulgence on a hot late summer day!
HOW TO MAKE:
blender nearly full of watermelon (I cut mine into chunks and removed the seeds)
ice (I used nearly a full tray)
2 shots bourbon (I used Knob Creek)
optional – fresh herbs like mint or basil, bruised with a mortar & pestle (I used just picked Thai basil from my garden)
(You’ll want to play with the proportions. The trick is not to overdo it with the bourbon. You want primarily a nice watermelon flavor with the bourbon just creeping from the background.)
Blend watermelon & bourbon. Add ice and blend well. Pour into glasses and stir in herbs by hand (if you’re using).
If you want, you can pop the drinks in the freezer for a few more minutes before drinking.
Enjoy!
Leave a comment & tell me: What’s your favorite summer drink? What kind of cocktails have you been enjoying this summer?
Those sound so wonderful and refreshing! I may have to try this – I think I will try with mint. Hopefully, mine will turn out like your beautiful picture!
my original plan was to make with fresh mint, but that’s one herb that for some reason I don’t have in my garden! so I went up to the little natural foods market a block from my house but they didn’t have any, so basil from the garden it was! still a great flavor!
Lovely stuff, Bobo! Not much chance of us Irish getting to harvest any watermelons anytime soon, given our climate! Still, I’ll enjoy thinking of yours 🙂 x
haha, aww yeah watermelon is tough to grow here too! Our growing season here in the mountains is not exceptionally long (unfortunately!) – just doesn’t stay hot enough long enough, and I’ve tried to grow watermelons a couple times before to no avail (they just never get ripe enough)… this year I was fortunate to get at least that huge one! yay! : )
That looks absolutely scrumptious! Maybe I can borrow some bourbon when I get back home to make one of my own! (Still have watermelon galore!)
picked another watermelon too! Not sure how it is yet- have yet to slice into it! bc I’m still eating the other half of the first one!