Like many people, we’re having a family BBQ tomorrow so we can hang out, grill some meat, and have a few drinks together. We were contemplating what cocktail would make a good match for typical cook-out foods, and we thought something fruity and refreshing would fit the bill. We decided to go with watermelon, that backyard picnic staple, for a fruit base, liven it up with some gin, lime, and bitters, then make the whole thing fizzy and delicious with a touch of sparkling wine.

The Harmonious Cocktail

• 2 oz gin (we used the Spy Hop)
• 2 oz watermelon juice
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1-2 dashes cherry bitters *or* one barspoon cherry liqueur and a dash of Peychaud’s (both variations work nicely!)
• 1 1/2 oz sparkling wine

Shake first 5 ingredients with ice. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine.

• Nose: Watermelon, rose, blackberries, lime.
• Palate: Really yummy! Watermelon and rose to start, very floral. Then lime and cherry on the mid-palate. Rather dry finish with a bit of bitterness and some wine-y tartness from the sparkling wine. Not too sweet and very fruity. Goes down very, very easily for something with a fair amount of booze. Be warned 😉

We plan to enjoy these alongside grilled Kalbi, potato salad, peach cobbler, and other end-of-summer deliciousness tomorrow. We hope you’ll give them a whirl for your festivities as well. Cheers!