Watermelon Cocktail
This is the first of many posts we’ll categorize as “Cocktails with Lieutenant Dan” and we’re starting with a real doozy, a Watermelon Cocktail with Gin and Basil.
Watermelon Cocktail
Lieutenant Dan is my husband.
No, he’s not in the military, but his name is Dan. He got the nickname Lt. Dan somewhere around July 1994, but I can’t exactly remember why.
Fortunately, he’s a keeper. We go together like peas and carrots.
There’s nothing hotter than a man who washes dishes, makes linguini from scratch, and shakes a mean martini.
So with that in mind, I give you Lt. Dan…
I love to eat.
This is a good thing considering I have a recipe developer, chef and blogger queen as my wife. In many ways our lives revolve around food –food for sustenance, entertainment, community and family. Many of our family vacations revolve around what restaurants to try or what regional cuisine is in season. Food is a major part of our life. But if I am being completely honest, as much as I love to eat… I really, really love to drink.
In that way the wife and I are different. We often say she likes to eat her calories and I like to drink them (which is why we both have to work out all the time).
Do I have the exquisite appetizer or martini? My answer – gin or vodka. Do I go with the chocolate cake or a single malt? Survey says – 18 year Dalwhinnie. How about a thick-cut ribeye or robust California Cab? You know the answer… Actually, I would rather not have to choose in that situation and have both instead! Anyways, you get the point.
So with that in mind, I have agreed to embark on a once a month post entitled “Cocktails with Lieutenant Dan.” (I know, I know – super cheesy name, but doesn’t hearing Forrest say Lieutenant Dayyan make you smile). I will share classics which I learned from my Great Grandmother and grandmother (where I learned to appreciate cocktails – more on that later) as well as some custom concoctions.
Which brings us to our first cocktail with Lieutenant Dan – the Watermelon Basil Bramble, a watermelon basil gin cocktail. It’s summer, there are tons of fresh fruits and herbs, so why not muddle a few of them together with a bit of grandpas cough medicine!
Enjoy!
Watermelon Cocktail Tips & Tricks
- To make watermelon gin cocktails for a crowd, simply scale the recipe up depending on how many people you will have.
- Serve this cocktail as a red drink to celebrate Juneteenth!
- If you don’t have limes on hand, you can replace them with lemons!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can opt to make your watermelon gin cocktail with store bought simple syrup to save time. But it is super easy and cheap to make right at home!
If you don’t drink alcohol or you are making this for someone under 21, you can absolutely turn this into a delicious mocktail! Replace the gin with sparkling water and pour it into the glass at the end or leave it out all together!
If you aren’t a fan of gin, replace it with vodka or rum!
More Summer Beverages:
Lavender Meyer Lemon Tom Collins
Green Tea Frappuccino ~ Sandra’s Easy Cooking
Strawberry Wine Punch ~ Miss In The Kitchen
Bourbon Peach Old Fashion ~ Josie Lee
Raspberry Lemonade ~ My Baking Addiction
Watermelon Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounces fresh lime juice
- 1/2-1 ounce simple syrup
- 2 watermelon chunks
- 2 chopped basil leaves
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Make Ahead: Prepare the simple syrup by heating equal parts water and sugar until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Cut the watermelon into 1 1/2-inch chunks.
- Place the watermelon, basil and salt in a cocktail shaker. Muddle until well smashed and soupy.
- Add the gin, lime juice and simple syrup. Fill with ice, place the lid on the shaker and shake well—30 seconds or so.
- Pour into a glass and garnish with extra watermelon and basil.
Delicious!! This is a keeper drink recipe! It was perfect cause we have tons of basil!
Hey, Sommer , Happy you have LT Dan aboard with the delicious libations . Thank you it’s well appreciated 🤠
How much watermelon do you into the chunks???
Hi Laurie!
Cut the watermelon into 1 1/2 inch chunks to muddle. Then you can garnish each glass with extra watermelon.
Delicious! The perfect summer/warm weather drink.
Yummy!
Reading this made me think you were creating a bio of my husband and myself. Our friends and family think it’s odd that we take vacations to seek out a particilar cuisine or chef we’ve read about! My husband is more the calories from beverages kinda guy as well.
So glad I saw this pinned! Kep on cookin and shakin!