Tomatillo Bloody Mary

Light and citrusy, this drink can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Pour over ice before serving.

-Take the skins off of 1 pound of tomatillos, then rinse them well.

-Roughly chop them.

-Peel 1 large cucumber and roughly chop.

-De-seed 1 jalapeno pepper.

-Puree the following together until smooth:

The juice from 2 limes

1 TBS sugar

A generous pinch of cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

The tomatillos

The cucumber

The jalapeno

¾ cup cold water

-Stir in 1 cup chilled vodka.

-Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

To serve, stir together 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp cayenne pepper on a small plate.

-Wet the rims of 4 glasses with a lime wedge and dip each in salt mixture, turning to coat.

-Stir Tomatillo mixture well, and divide among 4 ice-filled glasses.

The Green Lantern

-In a blender, puree the following together for 1 minute:

1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves

The zest from 2 limes

½ cup fresh lime juice

1 cup cold water

½ cup sugar

-Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass-measuring cup. 

-Add ice to 6 glasses and divide mixture between glasses. 

-Add a shot of gin or vodka if you wish, and top with:

Club soda

A lime slice

A small sprig of parsley

Cantaloupe Ice Cream

-Peel 1 cantaloupe.

-Cut into 1-inch chunks.

-In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe with 1/3 cup of sugar.

-Cover and allow to marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.

-In a saucepan, simmer the marinated cantaloupe pieces in the juices of the marinade over medium-low heat.

-Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove and cool.

-Puree the cantaloupe mixture in a blender or food processor.

-Add 1½ TBS lime juice and process again.

-Cover and chill for an hour.

-In a large bowl, combine the following:

1¾ cups half-and-half

1¼ cup coconut milk

½ cup sugar

-Stir in pureed cantaloupe, stirring gently to mix.

-Freeze mixture for about 2 hours, then transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed with the manufacturer’s instructions for making ice cream.

-Place cantaloupe ice cream into an air-tight container and return to freezer for 2 hours before serving.

Watermelon Margaritas

-Cut 1 watermelon into ½ inch chunks (easier to blend when frozen).

-Put cut watermelon on a cookie sheet and place in freezer and freeze solid, about 1-2 hours.

-Remove watermelon and place in a plastic bag, keep in the freezer until ready to mix your drinks.

-Place the following ingredients in your blender:

3 TBS fresh lime juice

6 ounces silver tequila

2 ounces Cointreau or triple sec

1.5 cups water

2.5 cups frozen watermelon

-Puree until smooth.

-Garnish with a watermelon wedge if you wish.

 

Melon Carpaccio with Lime

-Bring ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat

-Stir to dissolve sugar.

-Add 4 small mint sprigs.

-Cut half a jalapeno pepper into thin strips, then add to the sugar/mint.

-Scrape in seeds from ½ a vanilla bean; add bean.

-Remove syrup from heat; cover and let steep for 15 minutes for flavors to infuse.

-Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.

-Zest 1 lime.

-Then stir in ½ cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes).

-Cut 1 melon in half, then seed and peel it.

-Cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices.

-Arrange melon slices in a 13x9x2" glass baking dish.

-Pour syrup over melon in baking dish.

-Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

-Divide melon slices among plates, over-lapping them decoratively.

-Pour remaining syrup in dish into a small pitcher.

Drizzle some of syrup over melon.

-Garnish with mint leaves and lime zest.

 

Frozen Watermelon, Lime and Tequila Cocktail

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-Freeze 3.5 cups of 1-inch watermelon cubes for at least 4 hours.

-Add the following to a blender:

The frozen watermelon

6 oz. tequila blanco

4 oz. simple syrup

2 oz. fresh lime juice

3 cups ice

Purée until smooth and very thick (mixture will loosen immediately once poured).

-Divide among glasses and garnish with watermelon wedges.