Whoop, whoop, it’s watermelon season!
One of the few things that make the warmer months more bearable for me is the appearance of stripy green globes (or boulders sometimes) on the supermarket shelves. I can not get enough of watermelon throughout summer.
I think some of it has to do with the time I have spent in Hong Kong. Watermelon is in abundance there, with platters of it laid out in the hotels for breakfast. I practically lived off the stuff and every meal was accompanied by a watermelon based drink (non-alcoholic version coming in a couple of weeks).
Although the seeds are a bit of nuisance and it is very unladylike to spit them out, it is a delicious summer staple.
There was also the time we carried a watermelon around the whole of Europe on a family holiday. It was a very well-travelled fruit. We bought it in France, took it to Holland, Italy and Switzerland, then back to France and finally home before we ate it. It was amazing that it survived unscathed, and that there was always room for it in the car!
It seemed only right that one of my favourite summer fruits be paired with my current favourite tipple – gin, and that other summer staple, elderflower. I haven’t seen any elderflowers locally just yet, but when they pop up cordial shall be made. But until then, the liqueur will have to do!
There is a small amount of effort required to strain the juice from most of the pulpy stuff, but as I haven’t seen pure watermelon juice on the supermarket shelves, it is a necessity. And not that tricky.
And finally – there I was, busy setting the photos up and then snapping away when a small amount of movement caught my eye. I had brought a little friend in from the garden. Can you spot him?
I think he was a bit camera shy. He was very wiggly before I focused the camera on him! Then he hid inside his shell.
Watermelon, Gin & Elderflower Cooler
Ingredients:
- 340g fresh watermelon (will yield approximately 250ml juice)
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 70ml gin
- 40ml St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- sparkling water
- ice and slice of lime to serve
Method:
- Remove the seeds from the watermelon and place it in a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a jug to remove the pulp. Just leave it to do its thing for a while, don’t push it through with the back of a spoon or you will get some pulp.
- Once the watermelon juice has finished straining, add the agave syrup, gin and elderflower liqueur and stir. Place in the fridge to chill. It will separate out, but just give it a quick mix.
- Put some ice in two glasses and divide the drink between them. Top up with the sparkling water and decorate with a slice of lime.
© The Pink Rose Bakery 2015
The Pink Rose Bakery 