I love watermelon...but I mean really good watermelon. When the grocery store is selling watermelons in the winter I walk on by...we all know they will never be those super sweet, bright red, luscious wonders that mid-summer brings. Those I could eat my weight in. Hey...a watermelon diet might not be all bad hmm? So it should be no surprise I also love watermelon cocktails. They are the epitome of a refreshing summer beverage and I've done my share...but today I've got a new one and boy is it good. While I've made watermelon cocktails with tequila and vodka, this Watermelon Raspberry Cooler is my first foray using rum. Why did I wait so long...the tropical notes all blend together so perfectly.
I originally started this recipe wanting to make a watermelon mint cooler and some of you might have come from a site in the group I post with on Thursdays expecting that. BUT...yes a big but...things got crazy around here. Oh I had mint but I also needed limes and there were none to be found. If I didn't live in Denver, CO I would grow both lime and lemon trees; cocktail making requires always having them on hand. I did not. Bad Barb.
So I ran to the store and bought my weekly quota of fruits and veggies. When I bought new containers of raspberries and strawberries I guess I forgot just how many berries I had on hand already...not a biggy with strawberries but I anticipated having a problem with raspberries keeping for any length of time so...I punted. Those raspberries went into this cocktail instead of mint.
Truth be told so did a couple of strawberries but not enough to really mention but the beauty of this is that really you could use raspberries or strawberries or both, that extra zing really made this cocktail. I didn't think it really needed mint anymore but if you love it...muddle some in the simple syrup after its come off the heat and go for it! I made a pitcher of them. You should too - put the word out to friends or family or both and they'll come running for this cocktail that is so refreshing and beautiful it's just like having summer in a glass!
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 cups white rum
- 4 cups seedless watermelon chunks (one-quarter of a watermelon)
- 1 cup raspberries
- Sparkling soda or water, chilled
- Watermelon, raspberries and lime wedges
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a blender, combine the sugar syrup, lime juice, rum and watermelon chunks and raspberries and blend until combined; strain over a large bowl to remove raspberry seeds if desired.
- Pour into chilled glasses filled with ice, top with sparkling soda and garnish with watermelon, raspberries and lime.
