Drink Up: A Great Pair of Melons!

Two melon drinks that are sweet but not too sweet, fun, but not obnoxious. The morning show team of cocktails, you could say.

Melons have such friendly flavors, it seems to me they would work in almost any kind of drink. To test this theory, I invited a couple of friends to be my test monkeys and we hit the kitchen for a bit of mad cocktail science. Here are the results: The Watermelon Mojito and the Lady Godzilla Cooler.

Even though it requires a little blending and straining, watermelon juice is summer itself. Mint and rum turn the whole thing into one pretty, fresh-tasting cocktail. Almost made me want to ditch my dirty apron for a summer frock and a wide-brimmed hat.

The second melon drink is a variation on The Lady Godzilla, one of the best named cocktails ever. The original Lady Godzilla, although delicious, is stronger than a giant mutant Lizard, so we toned her down by creating the Lady Godzilla Cooler, in which we added pineapple juice, ice and a dash of club soda to lighten her up. To make this, I purchased a small bottle of Midori, the Japanese melon liqueur, but I’ll use it again at Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, or if the Green Lantern drops by, because who can resist a cocktail with a nuclear green glow?

The recipes are below, so call a friend and start your melons. And thanks to my testers Frank and Denise, for being such a great pair themselves.

Watermelon Mojito

1/2 cup watermelon cubes per drink

2 oz. white rum

Juice of 1/4 small lime

4-5 mint leaves, plus additional leaves for garnish

Whirl watermelon cubes in a blender until pureed. Pour puree through a strainer into a bowl. (You may need to stir the puree to help the juice separate from the solids, although a bit of puree never hurt anybody.) In a cocktail shaker or lidded container, muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice. Pour in 4 ounces of watermelon juice, add rum and ice. Shake vigorously and strain everything but the mint and ice into a cocktail or martini glass. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. If you prefer a mocktail version of this drink, replace the rum with coconut water. (Remember, that’s coconut water, not coconut milk!) Makes one drink.

Lady Godzilla Cooler

2 oz. tequila

1/2 – 3/4 oz. Midori Melon Liqueur

2 oz. pineapple juice

Club soda

Mint for garnish

In a shaker, combine tequila, Midori and pineapple juice with ice. Shake with giant reptilian intensity, then strain over fresh ice, top with club soda, and garnish with mint. Makes one drink.