Summer Watermelon Punch

Festive and refreshing watermelon punch

Ok so I confess - I saw a blog post about a watermelon made into a keg and I almost lost it out of sheer excitement.  However, the mechanics of adding a keg tap to a giant fruit are a little beyond my skill set.  

Carving the watermelon jack-o-lantern style seemed a bit more practical, so I opted to make a watermelon punch bowl.  The great thing about using the watermelon shell as your punch bowl for an outdoor party in the summer is that it's insulated and keeps the drink cool.  Just pop the lid back on top and you're all sealed up!


Most importantly though, this punch is amazingly refreshing.  We drank it during a rooftop BBQ with temperatures running in the mid 90s with full humidity and it totally hit the spot. With no added sugar, this punch packs all of the flavor and none of the sticky sweetness of your typical summer party punch.

Ingredients

1 ripe seedless watermelon 

1 bunch of mint roughly chopped

1 lemon juiced

1 lime juiced

2 cups of reposado tequila (or any other strong spirit of your liking)

A few dashes of your favorite bitters

Start by slicing off the top of the melon.  Keep in mind that this will be the top of your bowl so the opening will need to be large enough to be able to ladle out the punch.  If the melon doesn't stand well on it's own, you can shave off a tiny bit of the bottom to help it level off or plan to stand it up in a mixing bowl for serving.

Chop the top

Scoop the flesh of the watermelon into a bowl or pitcher.  

Scoring the flesh before scooping it out helps make things a bit easier

 Use an immersion blender to puree the watermelon.  

You can use a juicer or a traditional standing blender here too.

The puree will be very liquid but you'll want to strain it into a fine mesh sieve to prevent any chunky pieces from making it into the punch.  

Once your watermelon juice is fully strained, add it back to the pitcher, as you'll end up with way more punch than the watermelon shell can hold.  Next, stir in the mint, citrus juices, tequila, and bitters.

You and your punch can now chill until it's party time.  Serve it up in your watermelon punch bowl reserving the top as a lid to keep things chilled

Festive and refreshing watermelon punch

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Enjoy on a hot, sunny roof!