Covers & Cocktails: Strawberry Watermelon Sparkler

It’s August and hopefully, I’ll be hearing the death knell of summer soon. I left Florida for many reasons; the heat was pretty high up on the list. But with the boob sweat reaching staggering levels, I’m all about a tasty, ice cold drink (alcoholic preferably).

Summer reminds me a lot of watermelons and strawberries. Drunken watermelons were a frequent staple at family barbecues, and I would be lucky if my parents skipped a day without playing “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd. Seriously. That song gives me such bad second-hand embarrassment as I remember my mom shimmying around along the banks of the Suwannee River.

For Brown-Eyed Girl, which released this Tuesday (August 11th) by the way, I wanted something feminine and refreshing that reminded me a lot of summery sweetness. And also something that coordinated well with the cover because admittedly, I love the color pink. This is the Pink Palace of Bitchery after all.

The heroine is a wedding planner in Houston, so I wanted to add a bubbly, sparkling wine element to it. I used a local drink, so your mileage may vary in terms of what’s in stock at your liquor stores, but any sparkling wine would work. I’d definitely recommend a rosé, and the really great thing about this drink for the non-drinkers out there is that it can be made into a non-alcoholic version!

It’s also super easy to make. Three ingredients and you’re golden! The drink is fizzy and a little tart with the cranberry cider I used combined with the lemonade. At first, I muddled some watermelon, but didn’t like the texture of mushed watermelon, which is why I opted to puree it with some water instead to make it smoother. Also word of warning, be careful opening that sparkling cider! I barely made it in time to get the bottle over the sink before it turned into Old Faithful on me.

Shopping list:
Sparking wine or cider of your choice
Arnold Palmer Strawberry Half & Half Lemonade
Watermelon

Proportions:
2oz. sparkling cider/wine
2oz. strawberry lemonade
2oz. pureed watermelon

Modifications and notes:

• I love cranberry and I love hard cider so I snapped some Local Libation Cranberry, but other cider companies have cranberry or berry-flavored variations. (Champlain Orchards, Ciderboys, Downeast to name a few). If you don’t have ciders in your area, a nice sparkling wine is also a good substitute.
• For the watermelon, pureed a few slices with a little bit of water – just a few tablespoons to help with the pureeing process.
• I also bought a melon baller, which is probably the most adult statement I’ve typed. I put a few balls (heh) into my drink after mixing because I am a slave to boozy fruit. It’s a nice little reward when you get to the bottom. I balled the remaining watermelon and froze them to serve as “ice cubes” in future drinks.