The Seedless Watermelon is my custom creation from the Summer of 2018. Here’s the scene: it’s Friday. It’s four-thirty. The neighbors are DONE with work. The sun is out; the breeze is slow and warm. We had just installed really high-quality speakers facing the patio and my high-school-age son had put on a new album from Dua Lipa. We had fresh, cold, sweet Summer watermelon that was aching to be put into a sorbet, but I didn’t have four hours to chill and freeze the mix. So, in a pinch, I imagined a cocktail to satisfy my neighbors. Out came The Seedless Watermelon:

1/8 lemon juiced – about 1 teaspoon
1/2 oz St Germain liquor or your favorite Elderflower brand
1 oz gin – something super clean like The Botanist or Aviator
1 oz freshly cut Watermelon juice – use your hand to squeeze the chunk and catch the juice in a bowl or Pyrex pitcher
Shake with Ice.

Get the glass ready by chilling a Martini Glass with ice water. Treat the glass with an herb: Basil is an amazing addition if you take a leaf with your finger tips and use it to wipe the inside of the glass before pouring the cocktail into the glass. Pour your concoction into your chilled and aromatic martini glass and complete with 2-1/2 oz very fizzy club soda or seltzer water.
For a very special presentation, cut a paper-thin slice of lime and float it on the cocktail. Otherwise, float lemon rind or use a microplane for lemon zest dust. I typically don’t put sugar or salt on the rim, but give it a try!