Bird and Deal inspired my cocktail concoction today. I don’t mean that they drove me to drink, though that’s not a stretch on some days. I admit that sometimes their whining leads to my wining. But that’s not the case today.
Deal likes to stick a pencil behind his ear, take a notepad in hand (often one with a hotel logo on it because he hoards them from every place we stay), and don a red and blue checkered apron. He pretends to be a restaurant owner and takes my order. He never seems to have what I order but he is a friendlier version of the Soup Nazi. Bird acts as sous chef and busboy.
In a recent game of Dirt & Noise Cafe, the boys served me the meal you see in the photo above. They gave me bread, watermelon, and habanero peppers (Though that wooden fruit is a pear, they asked me to use my imagination.). I screamed in delight at this plate and exclaimed, “That’s it! I’m making a cocktail out of this!” Bird and Deal looked bewildered, thinking I had seriously lost my mind this time. Their eyes, flicking from slits to wide discs, looked at me and at each other. In their silent brotherly language they were prodding the other to interrupt my glee and clue me in to the fact that the food was fake.
I had to reassure them that I was neither daft nor dippy.
The wonderfully sweet yet spicy combination of watermelon and habanero had my tastebuds doing a jig before I had even added a jigger of vodka to the mix. This week has been brutally hot so we are in need of something to cool us down and chill us out. Watermelon is in season, and peppers are aplenty at the farmers market. This drink will tickle every tastebud and give your goosebumps a joy ride.
Hottermelon
3-4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1/2 seeded habanero pepper (or a whole jalapeno if you’re not into drinking fire)
4 shots of Rain Organic vodka
juice of 1 lime
ice
fresh mint
Pour the whole kit and kaboodle into a blender. Eyeball the ice to make the right proportion of ice to liquid that you prefer. Blend ‘er up. This is like a grown up slushie that rouses your soul with a cool blend of spice, ice, and everything nice.
Cheers to temperatures that are a bit lower than the Earth’s core!