Watermelon Bandito

Still have watermelon hanging around and want to carry it into Fall? Freeze the watermelon juice into ice cubes and you’ll be set for a summery treat all year round. The main components of this cocktail are quite similar to the Spicy Mintermelon Cocktail, but the different preparation method makes it feel like an entirely different beverage.

Yield: 1 cocktail

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Ingredients

• 2 1-oz. fresh watermelon juice ice cubes, strained*

• 2 oz. resposado tequila**

• 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice

• 0.25 oz simple syrup or agave syrup***

• Dash of Hellfire Bitters or Peychaud’s Bitters**

• Lime wheel (optional, for garnish)

• Small sprig thyme (optional, for garnish)

• Shaker or small blender (such as a bullet-style blender)****

Instructions

There are two ways to make this cocktail: (1) the easy way, and (2) the (arguably) correct way.

The easy way: Combine the juice ice cubes, tequila, lime juice, simple syrup or agave syrup, and bitters in a small blender. Blend until very smooth (the ice cubes should be fully broken down). Pour into a coupe glass. For garnish, put a small cut into the lime wheel from the center out along the radius. Insert the thyme spring vertically into the center of the lime and float on top of the cocktail.

The (arguably) correct way: Combine the juice ice cubes, tequila, lime juice, simple syrup or agave syrup, and bitters in a shaker. Shake the cocktail ingredients until the ice cubes have completely disintegrated (you’ll no longer hear the cubes shaking around in there, just the swish of liquid). This method takes quite a bit more time and the shaker will become VERY cold. When Katie shakes a cocktail like this, she usually wraps the shaker in a kitchen towel (Jeff’s seasoned bar hands aren’t quite as sensitive). Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass. For garnish, put a small cut into the lime wheel from the center out along the radius. Insert the thyme spring vertically into the center of the lime and float on top of the cocktail. The texture of the cocktail prepared using this method will be a little smoother, but we think the difference is pretty minor.

Notes

*To make watermelon juice, place cut pieces of watermelon into a blender.  Blend on high until fully liquefied.  Strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or similar container.  Store in fridge. To make the ice cubes, pour the strained juice into a silicon ice cube tray (the cubes in this size of tray are just about 1 oz. in volume) and place in freezer until solid (at least a few hours). You can also try this cocktail method with different fresh fruit juices, such as strawberry.

**Tequila is the traditional spirit for this cocktail, but if you’re not a fan, try it out with vodka instead. We recommend Tito’s Vodka. If you’re using tequila, we’d recommend using the Hellfire Bitters, or a combination of the Hellfire Bitters and Peychaud’s Bitters. If you’re using vodka, we’d also recommend using the Peychaud’s Bitters, or a combination of the Hellfire Bitters and Peychaud’s Bitters.

***To make a quick simple syrup, dissolve 1/2 cup sugar into 1/2 cup hot water in a jar.  Shake to combine and cool in fridge.  To make an agave syrup, dissolve 1/2 cup agave nectar into 1/2 cup hot water in a jar. Shake to combine and cool in fridge.  Extra simple syrup and agave syrup can be stored in the fridge up to a month. 

****We have a Ninja blender that provides options for a full-size blender or smaller bullet-style blending. The versatility makes it a great kitchen tool.