Summertime in a Glass

By Zoomlo • August 16, 2009 • 1 Comments

⎙

Author Notes: I created this recipe after I had a watermelon sitting on my counter for a week and felt pressure to find a use for it. Picking through my fruit selection, I added what I had available and then decided to freeze the fruit mixture, almost to make a granita. Adding rum and a sparkling lemonade to the slushiness of the recipe caused one of my friends to remark that it was “summertime in a glass.” Other types of fruit could be added or substituted. Likewise, substituting vodka for the rum has also been a hit. - Zoomlo

Serves 3-4 qts.

Using a blender or food processor, combine the following

1 small to medium seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
1 pound fresh strawberries, trimmed and sliced
1 fresh peach, sliced

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

Then to the remaining fruit mixture, add

Juice of 2 freshly squeezed limes
1 tablespoon sugar (use more if you like it sweeter)

Pour fruit mixture into smaller plastic containers, capable of freezing. Depending on the size of the watermelon, I can usually freeze about 3-4 quarts of the mixture.
About an hour or so before I’m ready to enjoy “summertime,” I set it out on the counter to soften a bit and ease service.
When ready to serve, add ice, 1-2 oz of rum or vodka and about ½ cup of the fruit mixture to a glass. Fill remainder of glass with a sparkling lemonade or citrus soda.