Gin Stevie Cocktail
By: Steve Schul
Published: Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 2:00pm

Ingredients




For the Cocktail:
2 ounces gin (we like Hendrick’s for this)
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
5 spearmint leaves
5 basil leaves
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3 watermelon–sake ice cubes*
splash of soda
spearmint sprig, as garnish
*For the Watermelon–Sake Ice Cubes:
4 pounds seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
1 ounce fresh lime juice
cup sugar (depending on sweetness of watermelon)
180 ml bottles sparkling sake

Preparation

1 To make the Watermelon–Sake Ice Cubes, add watermelon, lime juice & sugar to a bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes and up to several days in the fridge.  2 Transfer contents of bowl to a blender and puree until chunks are broken down.  3 Stir in sake.  4 Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until ready to use.

Makes up to 8 dozen cubes. (It may sound like a lot, but trust us, you’ll be much happier with lots in your freezer.)

 5 To make the Gin Stevie Cocktail, In a highball glass muddle lime juice, simple syrup, and leaves.  6 Add chilled gin, watermelon–sake ice cubes, and soda.  7 Garnish with sprig of mint.  8 Add a straw.

About


What is it about watermelon that makes us crazy for it in the summertime? The uniqueness of its sweetness, the juiciness of every bite? Well, regardless of your favorite aspect of watermelon, Steve has come up with a winning cooler (he has tweaked it to perfection!) that will delight all the guests at your patio cocktail party. Tickled with the herbaceous tastes of basil and spearmint, and graced by the cucumber and rose notes in Hendrick’s gin, the Imbibe Magazine–inspired watermelon–sake ice cubes that are the highlight of this concoction slowly melt so that it takes you on a journey from tart booziness to slushy sweetness. We pair our Gin Stevies with another summertime favorite — heirloom tomatoes — and dollop generous portions on freshly toasted baguette to create the perfect bruschetta. Take a bite, and follow with a generous sip.
Tips & Tricks:
Make your watermelon–sake cubes a day before your cocktail party. That way you’ll have plenty of time for them to freeze thoroughly, and you can relax a little knowing that important step is done!
If it turns out you have extra watermelon–sake juice, you can easily make a mocktail out of it. Just add some ice cubes, a little mint for garnish, plop in a straw, and start sipping.

Comments:
Barbara Ottomanelli

I had this and it is amazing!  The only reason I stopped at two was we ran out of watermelon cubes!!!