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Sandía Spritz

Sandía Spritz
Watermelon Cocktail / Photo by Chelsea Kyle / Prop Styling by Summer Moore / Food Styling by Jamie Kimm

Courtesy Gabriel Urrutia, bar consultant at Gramps, Miami

Sandía, watermelon in Spanish, forms the base for this lightly effervescent cocktail. While you’re at the market picking out a melon, find a local honey purveyor, to customize the flavor of the drink. Urrutia’s pick: Florida orange blossom honey.

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2022 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

Ingredients
1 ¼ ounces bourbon (Urrutia suggests Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon) or aged rum
¼ ounces Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
¾ ounces lime juice
½ ounce honey simple syrup
3 chunks watermelon, grilled
2 basil leaves for garnish
Sparkling wine, to top

Directions

To grill the watermelon, start with slices of water – melon (“rind on, like a pizza slice,” Urrutia says). Using an outdoor grill or grill pan, grill each side over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, or until the watermelon begins to caramelize. Let cool and cut into chunks.

Add all ingredients except sparkling wine to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10–12 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with sparkling wine.

Garnish with grilled watermelon chunk and basil leaf.