I'm not usually one for fancy drinks. Pour me a whiskey over ice and I'm good to go. But since I had all this watermelon to use up I figured I'd give it a go. And Martha Stewart's Watermelon-Basil Margaritas sounded so elegant and refined and just right for a hot summer night. Or, you know, Tuesday.
Now right off the bat I have to warn you that I am not a tequila aficionado. Her recipe calls for silver tequila and all I had was gold, so that's what I used. I know there are some people who would rather sashay naked down the street in rush hour than make that swap, but it tasted just fine to me. What I'm not sure that I tasted was the basil (or maybe the gold tequila just burned my more discerning taste buds). Maybe my basil wasn't flavorful enough or maybe it just didn't add anything, but I feel confident in saying you could easily leave it out if that step is just one too many.
Note that I'm not a fan of overly sweet drinks; you can add more sugar as desired. So go ahead. Have a little tipple. The sun is over the yardarm somewhere, right?
Watermelon-Basil Margaritas
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 to 3 cups cubed fresh watermelon
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup tequila
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup triple sec
Juice of 1 lime (or more to taste)
Cut out 12 ice-cube sized cubes of watermelon and freeze for at least an hour.
Crush basil leaves with your hands and put in the bottom of a pitcher. Pour tequila over and muddle (bash leaves with a pestle or spoon). Let sit at least a half-hour for flavors to mingle.
Mix remainder of cubed watermelon and confectioners' sugar in a food processor. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve; you should have 2 cups of watermelon juice. Add to tequila in pitcher. Stir in triple sec and lime juice; taste, adding more lime juice or sugar as needed.
Put 2 watermelon ice cubes in a glass. Shake watermelon margarita with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into glass. Garnish with fresh basil.
Serves 6.
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