Watermelon Coconut Margaritas
Makes 1 8-ounce drink.

1 shot sour mix¹You can use store bought or make your own. To make your own combine juice from half a lemon, juice from half a lime, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a pan. Bring to a boil then allow to cool. This makes enough for two drinks. If you want to make more scale up!
2 shots watermelon reduction
1 shot coconut milk (full fat is ideal)
1/2 lime juiced
1 shot tequila (or mezcal if you want it a little smoky)
extra lime, course salt, and turbinado sugar, and watermelon slice for rim

1. If possible cool down all the ingredients ahead of time (this will melt the ice less and lead to a better tasting drink).
2. Rub lime (ideally the leftovers from squeezing in the drink) around rim of glass and dip in combination of equal parts course salt and turbinado sugar (mine was dyed green from a previous recipe).
3. Combine watermelon reduction, coconut milk, sour mix, lime juice, and tequila with ice in a shaker. Shake to combine.
4. Pour drink from shaker into a glass, leaving the ice in the shaker.

I also highly recommend this drink if blender form! Follow the same recipe but blend with a few ice cubes. Enjoy immediately.

This drink also taste great virgin without the tequila! The perfect drink for an evening in the garden.

 

Watermelon Reduction

1 personal watermelon (or really as much watermelon as you have)

1. Cut up the watermelon into blendable pieces. Blend until smooth (I used a hand blender), then pour into large, flat bottom pan.
2. Turn stove onto medium heat and bring blended watermelon to a boil.
3. Let watermelon continue at rolling boil, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the consistency you want. For me this took about 45 minutes.
4. Take off heat and allow to cool to room temperature then put in fridge.

Don’t let the fact that it looks a little like tomato sauce fool you! This reduction goes great in yogurt in the morning but also in drinks. One of my favorites I have made with it are these watermelon coconut margaritas.

 

Rambles:

The beginning of September is supposed to be the roll over to fall, but tell that to the weather. It has been over 90° F (32.2° C) all this past week which is less warm apple cider and more cold blender drinks. It was therefore fitting that I found a personal sized watermelon I had forgotten about in the back of the fridge…not so fitting that it had turned rather mealy.

Now if you have been following this blog you know I hate food waste and try as hard as possible to not throw anything out. With this thought in mind I took it upon myself to figure out what to do with this watermelon. Suggestion from a friend (who didn’t even know I had a mealy watermelon!) – watermelon reduction.

Honestly I had never heated up watermelon before and I was dubious. What would happen to it? Would it cook down, like most fruit, to a jam like consistency or would it become a texture that was gross? The result was how I should have expected it, while at the same time pleasantly surprising. It cooked down to a nice, red, watermelon flavored, thick paste. It wasn’t jammy because watermelon doesn’t have pectin and I didn’t add extra sugar. From further reading online it turns out I could have gone even further with it and it would make some “watermelon honey” but I wanted a reduction of the fruit I could use in recipes and that is what I got!