Fourth of July

Two states: Sea Green and Sea Freeze

by:
July 12, 2011
4.5
4 Ratings
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Jump in and swim away. And you can just swim away from it all in this drink. If I do get a chance to be poolside, I love the feeling of being off in my own little world in a glass. For those of us on vacation this week, what a great theme Food52 gave us! I am taking some art classes, sort of like being at adult day camp, not too far from home. So I have a ready cast of visual critics available. This was pretty popular yesterday. But far from poolside, we are instead indoors sweltering in an industrial studio. It was tempting to try the addition of tequila, but this seemed really great without it. There is not a virgin version of this. So wait for a respectable cocktail hour. I think I have a new quest- to create a world of new drinks creating the colors of the rainbow...that's my idea for my next book. Any publishers interested?
Just froze this drink solid and then processed as snow or slush in a blender: this version is my new favorite! —Sagegreen

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Ingredients
  • 2 inch or so chunk of soft ripe fleshy melon, like hami
  • tiny pinch of sea salt
  • pinch of fresh milled pink peppercorns, optional
  • lemon verbena or lemon grass leaves
  • 2 ounces Hpnotiq ( or 1.5 oz. vodka/grey goose with .5 oz. of blue Curacao)
  • .75 ounces Midori
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice, Meyer preferred
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice, sweet lime preferred
  • 1/2 cup crushed ice
  • more ice, optional
  • sea salt or turbinado sugar with additions for rim, optional
  • tiny pinch of arame, optional garnish
Directions
  1. Chill a cocktail glass well. Before serving if you want a lightly sugared or salted rim, run both a lime and a lemon around the rim of the glass. Add the sugar or sea salt to a saucer. To simulate an exotic sand effect (and for a great flavor combination) consider adding ground almonds with some milled pepper as additions into which ever direction you go. Run the rim in the sugar or salt with or without the additions. See photos for my rather sloppy first efforts. You will do a neater job, I bet.
  2. Add the salt and optional pink peppercorns to the melon chunk. Then add the melon and half of the herbal leaves, bruised, to a cocktail shaker. Pour in the citrus juices, Hypnotiq (or vodka with curacao), and Midori. Muddle well.
  3. Add the crushed ice. Cover and shake well.
  4. If you want this drink on the rocks, add additional cracked or crushed ice to the chilled glass. Otherwise strain and pour the drink into your glass. Garnish with fresh herb. Either lemon verbena or lemon grass add a refreshing twist to this drink. Or if you want a more sea-like garnish, consider floating a little arame on the top. If you do and you let your drink sit a long while, the arame will sink down as real seaweed. I like the salty flavor this imparts.
  5. For the Sea Freeze take the drink, pour it in a freezer container. After 4-5 hours process in a blender as snow. Garnish with arame or herb. Enjoy!
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9 Reviews

Bevi July 18, 2011
This sounds like it packs a punch!
Sagegreen July 18, 2011
Thanks, Bevi. Actually with the Hpnotiq, it is more delicate since it contains exotic juices in it, not all alcohol. I like playing up a little saltiness to contrast against the strong fruitiness.
fiveandspice July 14, 2011
Wow! Definitely worthy of a spot in the rainbow! Have fun with your art!
Sagegreen July 14, 2011
Thanks so much, 5&s! Am on lunch break at our last day!
DailyMeals July 14, 2011
This sounds so good!! And I would agree, hypnotiq is the way to go
Sagegreen July 14, 2011
Thanks for your feedback, DM. I actually am torn between the hpnotiq vs. the vodka and blue curacao. I like depth of the color and flavor I think more with the curacao at the moment, but hpnotiq was more delicate! Maybe I will suggest both options!
Lizthechef July 12, 2011
Gosh, when you open a tropical bar, let me know! What is "Hpnotiq" - and I'm the one who lives in SoCAL ;)
Sagegreen July 12, 2011
Thanks, Liz! I was going to use blue curacao, but instead found blue hpnotiq, which is a French product of vodka, exotic fruit juices and a little cognac. I thought this drink would have been much more aquamarine, but it turned out more emerald. In any case it was really delicious!
Sagegreen July 13, 2011
I decided to stick to my original idea after all!