BajaNomad

Drunken Watermelon!

elizabeth - 7-6-2009 at 03:36 PM

Believe it or not, I found this recipe in Martha Stewart Living: She calls it Tequila-Soaked Watermelon Wedges...I call it drunken watermelon! It is really good, and gets better the longer it sits.

1 small seedless watermelon, quartered and cut into 1" thick wedges
1 cup of sugar (I used 3/4 cup agave syrup...just seemed to go with the tequila!)
3/4 cup of water
1/2 cup tequila (I used Herradura Plata)
1/4 cup Triple Sec (I used controy...can't stand triple sec)
2 limes
Flaked sea salt or coarse salt

Arrange watermelon in a single layer in two 9 x 13 " baking dishes. Bring sugar, water, tequila, and triple sec to a boil. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly. Pour syrup over watermelon wedges, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (I did 4 hours, turning the watermelon 1/2 way through). Remove watermelon from syrup, arrange on platter...squeeze limes over melon and season with salt.

Oso - 7-6-2009 at 05:28 PM

Sounds interesting but too much sugar, too little tequila and if you boil it there goes the alcohol.

I think I prefer simple old-fashioned Southern Ginned Watermelon:

Pick a nice melon that will sit flat and not roll around. Take the cap off a bottle of gin and use it to trace a small circle top dead center. Use a narrow blade knife (fish fillet knife works well) to cut a round plug out of the melon. Cut inside the circle for a tight fit. Shove the neck of the gin bottle into the plug hole and prop up the melon so the bottle is vertical and upside down. Let the gin soak slowly into the watermelon (this could take a day or more). Chill in a tub of ice water or the fridge if you have room. Serve in wedges.

According to my grandmother, there was a restaurant in Atlanta famous for this dessert. Supposedly one day a pair of little old lady tourists from the North were persuaded to try the unfamiliar treat. A short time later the waiter spotted them surreptitiously sweeping the seeds into napkins and hiding them in their purses.

Easy recipe

Dave - 7-6-2009 at 06:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oso
Pick a nice melon that will sit flat and not roll around. Take the cap off a bottle of gin and use it to trace a small circle top dead center. Use a narrow blade knife (fish fillet knife works well) to cut a round plug out of the melon. Cut inside the circle for a tight fit. Shove the neck of the gin bottle into the plug hole and prop up the melon so the bottle is vertical and upside down. Let the gin soak slowly into the watermelon (this could take a day or more). Chill in a tub of ice water or the fridge if you have room. Serve in wedges.


Eliminate steps 2-7

Cut and eat melon...Drink the gin.

Glass, vermouth and olive optional.

Paulina - 7-6-2009 at 06:30 PM

We used to do this when I was in college in Baja, only we would use vodka. We would hook up the watermelon with the bottle in the morning, stare at it all day while waiting for the evening lecture, then devour it afterwards. There wasn't any ice available in town at that time, so we never had the pleasure of eating it cold.

I had all but forgotten about that. Thanks elizabeth and oso for reminding me.

P<*)))>{

elizabeth - 7-6-2009 at 07:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oso
Sounds interesting but too much sugar, too little tequila and if you boil it there goes the alcohol.


I had my doubts, too. Just try it for the taste...and there is a bit of a buzz, too...probably because I just heated it...didn't boil it since I used the agave syrup instead of sugar.

I was definitely surprised at how good it tasted.

BajaNuts - 7-6-2009 at 07:55 PM

you could try boiling the sugar and water to dissolve the sugar, let it cool a little, THEN add the good stuff. No loss of alcohol. If you use the agave syrup, I don't see a need to heat it.

You can dissolve more than 4 cups sugar into 1 cup water, so the sugar/water ratio in the recipe above would work fine.

[Edited on 7-7-2009 by BajaNuts]

DianaT - 7-7-2009 at 09:37 AM

Sounds very interesting---may have to try it