In the musical Parade watermelon pickles are mentioned a few times, once by me, so as I was trying to think of some drinks I could make related to the show I almost immediately locked on to this quirky condiment. I had no idea what the things were, but I could at least play with the thought. So I did.
Watermelon Pickles
- 2.0 oz. American Dry Gin
- 0.5 oz. watermelon syrup
- 0.25 oz. lemon juice
- 0.25 oz. tequila lime vinegar
- 3 drops salt water
- 2 dashes lemon bitters
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Garnish with sweet watermelon pickles.
I did actually find a jar of the sweet pickled watermelon rind, which are.. interesting, so I added it as a garnish. The drink itself, though, is inspired more by the idea of pickles and watermelons than by the actual taste of the food. I had a watermelon simple syrup from Monin’s and used this with some gin (Bluecoat). For the pickling I added the vinegar which I found in a specialty shop last year, plus a little lemon juice for even more pucker and acid. I added the salt just because that’s what I like with my watermelon and to generally enhance the flavors already present, and finished with the lemon bitters to balance the sweet and tart.
Watermelon Pickles. Drink it, don’t eat it.