Watermelon & Vodka Summer Drink, plus a Watermelon Basket!

Happy National Watermelon Day!

Nothing screams summer more than a fresh, sweet, juicy watermelon. I was ecstatic when I received a watermelon from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. The only catch was that I had to create a watermelon carving for their summer carving contest. At first this didn’t seem like a difficult task. I did a quick google search and found an instructional video for carving flowers. My plan was to make a basket and carve flowers on the sides. I got started. Forty-five minutes later, my flowers looked nothing like the ones in the video and I had made a big big mess. So I just proceeded with a basket design inspired by the Americana Basket on watermelon.org, and filled it with watermelon balls. Not as striking as my original idea, but equally delicious!

With all that watermelon, I had to come up with a recipe. Here is a quick recipe for a refreshing watermelon summer drink:

2 cups watermelon balls
¼ cup vodka
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup ice cubes
Mint leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons simple syrup (optional)

1. Place everything in a blender and blend until homogenous. Pour in a glass and garnish with a watermelon wedge.
2. Drink on a hot summer day.

If you love watermelon, also check out my recipe for Watermelon, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Salad.

Disclosure: I received a watermelon and carving supplies from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. I was not compensated for this post. Opinions are my own.