By Pamela Morgan

Summer is upon us! My favorite time of year.  What better way to kick off the season than with a refreshing and beautiful drink! Who doesn’t love watermelon and especially with vodka in it?? This cocktail is so refreshing infused with mint and basil and such a vibrant color too… a crowd pleaser for sure.

One large watermelon makes a gallon of juice so you can have unlimited cocktails all weekend long or enjoy for one evening with lots of friends to share this splash.

Watermelon Splash!

Prep Time: 10m |Cook Time: 5m|Total Time: 15m

Directions for 2 cocktails.

 Ingredients

• 4 fluid ounces Fresh Watermelon Juice
• 3/4 fluid ounce Basil simple syrup
• 3/4 fluid ounce Lime Juice
• 2 fluid ounces Vodka
• Splash soda water
• Garnish
• Watermelon rind
• Mint
• Watermelon Juice
• 1 Large Watermelon
• Basil Simple Syrup
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

• Fresh Watermelon Juice
• Place the watermelon flesh, in a food processor for 2 – 3 minutes, on high.
• Strain the juice from any seeds, or pulp. Place in a pitcher.

Basil Simple Syrup

• In a small pot, combine sugar, water and basil.
• Cook until all the sugar has dissolved about 10 minutes.
• Let the syrup sit for fifteen minutes, before straining the basil.

Watermelon Splash!

• In a cocktail mixer start with a cup of ice, then add the watermelon juice, simple syrup, vodka, and lime juice.
• Shake well, for 2 minutes.
• Pour in a rocks glass, on ice. Add a splash of soda water.
• Garnish with a small bunch of mint, and a twist of watermelon rind.

Cheers & Happy Summer!!

Cookbook author and entertaining expert, Pamela Morgan is the owner of NYC based Flirting with Flavors, where she offers exclusive cooking parties, inspirational seminars and special events. She is highly regarded as a special event planner, culinary consultant, cookbook author, and is a food & entertaining editor for Hamptons’s Cottages and Gardens.   Pamela sees food as a flirtation: sexy, provocative, and a little mysterious. Her desire is to teach you how to flirt your way into a full on passion for cooking and entertaining! Visit her web site for recipes, entertaining inspiration and much more.