Golden Watermelon Cocktails with Ginger, Basil + Tequila

Milly's Kitchen

the high noon: golden watermelon, ginger, basil + tequila

I just got home from 5 days spent camping on Orcas Island with my mom. I briefly thought about just posting the outdoorsy, pacific-northwest-perfect highlight reel of our trip: sleeping under a twinkling night sky, hiking along crystalline mountain lakes and watching baby harbor seals frolic in the bay. (True story. But in the spirit of realness I try to bring to this blog each week, I figured I should also tell you how I arrived on the island so tired and tense that I promptly got in a mega-argument with my mom, during which I behaved like a total ass! And how for the first two days, I felt an overpowering urge to check my phone despite the complete lack of signal at our campsite. I kept reaching for my back pocket and my useless phone--a digital phantom limb that refused to stop itching.  I should also probably disclose how at the soaking tubs perched above a peaceful, wooded cove, I listened to a group of twenty-somethings drone on about the hipness of their lives and how “tight” Copenhagen is until I wanted to rip my own ears off. When their conversation turned to spontaneous human combustion, I decided I couldn’t take it any longer and proceeded to lecture them on the finer points of spa etiquette like a deranged schoolmarm. (I fully expect to look back on that day as the line demarcating the beginning of my old age. But the good news, and the point of this post, is that I eventually I stopped checking my phone and wanting to argue with my mom over nothing and lecturing millennials for not properly appreciating the glory of the Pacific Northwest landscape. And when I did, I found myself able to slip into the easy, camp-side spirit I’d been craving. I was thrilled to be dressed in my coziest clothing. I skipped wearing makeup and didn’t attempt to corral my curls into any sort of order. I swam and picnicked and played cards. Mom and I explored the villages on the island. We bought tomatoes and tiny, sweet peaches at the farmers market. We watched the full moon rise and set over the bay.  At the 11th hour, one week before I pack my bags and head back to Europe to lead another culinary tour, I found my way to that carefree, summer state of mind.  I’ve created this cocktail to help you reach the same state of summertime nirvana. It’s called The High Noon, both for it’s sunny color and to evoke the pleasure of basking in the August sunshine. It’s origins are accidental: I was trying to buy a regular old red watermelon to make cocktails for my pop-up dinner earlier this month and discovered I’d brought home a golden watermelon instead. When I saw that Sherrie from With Food + Love was organizing another #drinkthesummer event this year, I knew my contribution would involve that gorgeous yellow melon! I know I posted a salted watermelon cocktail last year. But I can’t help it--salty watermelon is one of my favorite summer flavors! So I’m back with a cocktail featuring watermelon, a ginger-basil simple syrup, a splash of tequila and a chile-salt rim to keep things interesting. It’s sweet, sour, tangy and a little spicy. Just like summer. I’m thrilled to be part of the #drinkthesummer event! I loved tinkering in the kitchen to create this cocktail recipe. But I’m even more excited to try out some of the other recipes created by the bloggers participating this year!  Here is a list of all the summer party people. Check out their seasonal cocktails and mocktails--hopefully you’ll find a new favorite blogger or two to follow!  Boozy With Food + Love | Basil Fig Smash A Little Saffron | Beach Bum's Rum A Thought For Food | Tarragon Tequlia Swizzle Downshiftology | Limoncello Prosecco with Blueberries and Thyme Heart of a Baker | Green Tea Mint Cooler Hungry Girl por Vida | Whisky Peach Alexander The Green Life | Spiced Plum, Fig & Kombucha Cocktail Hummingbird High | Watermelon and Mint Agua Fresca Floating Kitchen | Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktail Beard and Bonnet | Melon Mojito EGD | Backyard Peach Sweet Tea Appeasing a Food Geek | Basil and Black Pepper Gin Sour Vegetarian Ventures | Garden Tonic Punch Nosh and Nourish | Mango Margaritas with Chile Lime Salted Rims Domesticate ME! | Watermelon-Basil Mezcal Margarita The Foodie Nurse | Husk Cherry Margarita my name is yeh | Choose Your Own Adventure Bloody Marys Sevengrams | Cucumber, Gin and Chartreuse Cocktail Wicked Spatula | Coconut Gin and Tonic Eat Boutique | Sbagliatos and Homemade Sweet Vermouth Nutritionist in the Kitch | Healthy Muddled Blackberry Pina Coladas Chocolate + Marrow | Pequito Verdecito The Solstice Table | Jalapeño Watermelon Cooler HonestlyYUM | Watermelon, Fresh Herbs, & Sotol Cocktail Seasonal Cravings | Strawberry Lime Gin Rickey Salted Plains | Frozen Honeydew Daiquiris The Broken Bread | Honeydew-Ginger Apricot Mojitos Fix Feast Flair | Ginger-Berry Splash Cocktail Turntable Kitchen | Summer Cooler Cocktails, Two Ways Foolproof Living | Blueberry, Dark Cherry and Calvados Cocktail Dessert for Two | Salty Melon Slush   Non-Boozy Heartbeet Kitchen | Salty Watermelon Shrub Elixir TENDING the TABLE | Raspberry and Fig Hibiscus Cooler Snixy Kitchen | Lavender Earl Gray Blackberry Ice Cream Floats (vegan The Bojon Gourmet | Vanilla Rooibos Peach Ice Cream Floats (vegan Gratitude and Greens | Hong Kong Style Crushed Watermelon Ice  My Heart Beets | Spiced Pistachio Shake rooting the sun | Strawberry Fennel Soda The Modern Proper | Vanilla Bean, Plum Shrub Feed Me Phoebe | Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Coolers Gourmande in the Kitchen | Stone Fruit Thyme Shrub Soda dolly and oatmeal | Cold-Brewed Shiso & Hibiscus Tea Iced Latte happy hearted kitchen | Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Fennel, Orange + Cardamom I am a Food Blog | Cherry Vanilla Sodas Tasty Yummies | Fig Vanilla Bean Almond Milk Let's talk evergreen | Iced Earl Grey Yuanyang With a Hint of Rose Kale & Caramel | Emerald Beaut Green Spritzer Earthy Feast | Watermelon Hibiscus Agua Fresca Now, Forager | Sparkling Plumcot and Purple Basil Shrubs The Pig & Quill | Brown Sugar Blueberry Pie Shakes Well and Full | Peach Bubble Tea Sweetish Co | The Best Frozen Hot Chocolate holly & flora | Spiced Pineapple Shrub Sparklers with Black Tea + Coconut Pure Ella | Fresh Mint Tea A huge thanks to Sherrie from With Food + Love for organizing. Now jump on into this virtual cocktail party and shake up some seasonal, boozy (and non-boozy! goodness. Drink responsibly and #drinkthesummer! Golden Watermelon Cocktails with Ginger, Basil + Tequila * 1 cup sugar * 1 cup water * 2-inch knob fresh ginger, thinly sliced (no need to peel * ½ cup loosely-packed basil leaves * ¼ to ½ small seedless golden watermelon (or red watermelon * 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt or kosher salt * ¼ teaspoon chile flakes (I used Portuguese piri piri * ¼ cup fresh lime juice * ¼ cup silver tequila * 4 small stems fresh basil, to garnish *Notes: Unless you plan to make a lot of these cocktails, you’ll have some simple syrup left over. It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for about a month. Use leftover syrup to flavor lemonade, in sorbet and popsicles, or stir a little bit into a fruit salad to kick it up a notch. - Straining the watermelon is optional. It makes for a clearer cocktail, but you can skip this step if you like. - The watermelon juice will keep, covered, in the fridge for 4-5 days. First, make the ginger-basil simple syrup: Combine the sugar, water, ginger and basil in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Set aside to steep for at least 30 minutes. Pour the simple syrup through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to get out as much liquid as possible. Discard basil and ginger and set syrup aside to cool completely.  While the syrup is cooling, make the watermelon juice. Cut the rind from the watermelon and cut it into chunks. Puree in a food processor or blender then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Do not press on the solids with a spoon or you’ll force them through the sieve. Repeat until you have 1 ¼ cups strained watermelon juice. Next, stir the salt and chile together in a small bowl and set aside. To assemble the cocktail: Pour some of the honey simple syrup into a small, shallow bowl or a small plate with a lip. Transfer the salt to a similar plate. Dip the rim of 4 8-oz cocktail glasses into the simple syrup then place the rims the glasses in the chile salt and turn to coat evenly. Set aside Shake the golden watermelon juice, ¼ cup of the simple syrup, the lime juice and the tequila over ice for 30 seconds (you will need to do this in 2 batches unless you have a large shaker. Strain into the prepared glasses. Top with ice to fill the glasses. Garnish with the basil and serve. Makes 4 cocktails.