This cocktail recipe is a summer take on the classic Old-Fashioned featuring fresh watermelon juice to lend a refreshing, summery spin.
It’s Friday and we’re feelin’ fine…Okay, okay, maybe not feeling FANTASTIC, but we’re doing our best to make the most of this crazy situation that has come our way (see my last blog post) and there’s nothing like a summery twist on one of the hubby and my favorite cocktails to turn our frowns upside down. Enter this Watermelon Old-Fashioned!
You know I’m no stranger to combining watermelon and bourbon in a cocktail (see this Watermelon Balsamic Basil Julep I made a couple of months back), and now that summer is quickly coming to a close I felt like I needed to get all of my other watermelon cocktail ideas out there before no one wants to talk about this juicy, ripe fruit anymore and everyone just wants to talk about pumpkin, sweet potato and turkey until it’s then time to talk about peppermint, eggnog, and the like. You feel me?
But, seriously though, let’s talk about looking for the silver lining in things. That’s all we’ve been doing the past few days. Of course there are so many things to be thankful for: we’re thankful that I actually don’t have to worry about heading to a 9-5 office job every day of the week anymore (so I can play nurse to my man), we’re thankful that this injury didn’t happen before our wedding, we’re thankful that we made it through a hurricane together, and most of all we’re thankful that we have each other…But it’s hard work trying to remind ourselves of that sometimes when we’re trekking from one doctor appointment to another or I’m trying to unpack BOTH of our suitcases for the trip or trying to get something off of the very top shelf in our kitchen. It’s times like these that I’m so ready for a refreshing yet comforting cocktail at the end of the day and this Watermelon Old-Fashioned is really doing the trick.
So let’s talk a little bit about this libation that’s brought me so much comfort and joy the past couple of days. I don’t really remember what my inspiration was for this cocktail, but it’s quite likely that it just popped into my head one day and I was lucky enough to write it down on my list of content ideas. (This is how the vast majority of my recipe ideas come about. I always need to have Evernote close at hand!)
In these dog days of summer, I find myself constantly craving fresh watermelon or watermelon juice. It’s a thing and I can’t ever get enough. Plus, because I am probably one of the only balanced living bloggers/whole foods proponents that does not own a juicer (gasp!), watermelon proves to be one of the few fruits that I can actually run through my immersion blender and get a significant, gulp-worthy glass from (thank you, high water content!)
So, I already knew that I loved fresh watermelon juice, I already knew that I loved the watermelon and bourbon combo, and I already knew that I loved Old-Fashioneds. IMHO, this Watermelon Old-Fashioned idea could not go wrong!
And no, it did not. Guys, it turned out soooooo delicious. And I am so excited to share it with you. Are you intimidated by fancy cocktails? Do you feel like you need tons of fancy equipment to take advantage of this new mixology fad? Fear not! The only semi-“fancy” ingredient that this Watermelon Old-Fashioned entails is angostura bitters. And yes, you can find it on Amazon. Do you know how to boil sugar and water? Then you’ve got your simple syrup (or you could also buy that on Amazon.) See? No excuses!
This recipe only requires five ingredients and comes together in less than 10 minutes, which means the Watermelon Old-Fashioned should be making an appearance in your hand at approximately 5:10pm this lovely Friday evening, as soon as you walk in the door, kick off your shoes and turn on the Olympics. Sound good? I’ll be there with you in spirit! (Hehe, see what I did there?)
Watermelon Old-Fashioned
Ingredients
- 1 ounce bourbon
- ¼ ounce angostura bitters
- 1 ½ ounces watermelon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- ½ ounce fresh orange juice
- 1 orange slice
Instructions
- In a rocks glass filled ¾ of the way full with ice, combine bourbon, bitters, watermelon juice, simple syrup and orange juice. Stir to combine and then garnish with orange slice.
Notes
- Easily make homemade watermelon juice by pureeing fresh, seedless watermelon with an immersion blender or regular blender. If there happen to be any seeds in your juice, just run it through a sieve before making your cocktail.
Nutrition
Make mine a double!!
This post contains affiliate links. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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