Cucurbit Cooler
Author Notes: Cucurbitaceae is a plant family that includes cucumbers, melons, and squashes. The sweet, herbal syrup balances nicely with the fresh cucumber and watermelon. Enjoy in moderation (these go down very easily!). - gingerroot —gingerroot
Food52 Review: A poolside drink? Yes! Refeshing? Yes! More-ish? Definitely. This cucumber-watermelon-vodka cocktail with cilantro infusion is certainly a delicious hot afternoon beverage. The longer I left the ingredients to infuse, the better it became (after all, things do get better with age!). I happened to have some ancho chili powder handy, so added a few pinches of that! Divine! - thehappycook —Victoria Ross
Makes 1 drink
for the drink
-
1
tablespoon grated Japanese or English cucumber
-
1
tablespoon watermelon (I scooped it right out)
-
2
tablespoons lime-citrus-cilantro syrup (recipe below)
-
1 1/2 -2
ounces vodka
-
11/2
teaspoon lime juice (I used 1 juicy wedge of a Tahitian lime)
-
1
ounce sparkling water
- Add grated cucumber and scoop of watermelon to an old-fashioned glass. Gently smush watermelon into cucumber with a pestle, and add ice cubes to glass. Add syrup, vodka, lime juice and top with soda. Stir to combine. Enjoy! Note: If you like your poolside cocktails to be deliciously sneaky, go with 1 1/2 ounces of vodka. If you like to know you are drinking something delicious but sneaky, go with 2 ounces.
for the lime-citrus-cilantro syrup
-
1
cup granulated sugar
-
1
cup water
-
2
long peels of lime (from the circumference of a larger variety such as Tahitian)
-
1/4
cup fresh tangerine or Clementine juice
-
1/3
cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. When sugar has dissolved, add lime peel and tangerine juice. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 20 minutes. Add cilantro and boil for 1 minute. Strain mixture through a sieve into a wide glass container to remove solids. Transfer to a glass container with an airtight lid. Allow mixture to cool slightly, cover and refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe for Daytime Drinks
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Poolside Cocktail
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almost 3 years ago LE BEC FIN
WOW, gr,you had me at cucumber, lime and cilantro! i am WICKED impressed; can't wait to make this!
almost 7 years ago Sagegreen
This sounds lovely!
almost 7 years ago gingerroot
Thanks, Sagegreen! I hope to get a picture up soon.
almost 7 years ago mrslarkin
This sounds perfect! And addictive!
almost 7 years ago gingerroot
Thank you, mrslarkin! The watermelon at the bottom is especially delicious once you are done with the drink.
almost 7 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
You've outdone yourself with this one. The drink sounds fabulous, and I bet the syrup would also combine well with some lime juice and water or seltzer for a sophisticated riff on limeade or soda.
almost 7 years ago gingerroot
Thanks, hardlikearmour! The syrup adds a really nice, but unexpected (b/c of the cilantro) flavor dimension. They are dangerous though -I sipped (actually it was more like a slurp) mine down pretty quickly.
Showing 7 out of 7 comments