Preparing Watermelon-Infused Vodka
12-Feb-2007
In preparation for a cocktail I’ll be making for my Happy Hour at Home post over on The Spirit World on Thursday, I’m mixing up a little watermelon-infused vodka. Doesn’t that just sound so refreshing? And it brings back memories of my younger years when we used to make vodka-infused watermelons! I actually tried to do that a couple summers ago and completely messed it up. I think I overthought the whole thing – much better to be a college student just screwing around to see what comes of it all! ;-)
But back to the subject. Making an infusion with soft fruit like this doesn’t take too long; 3 – 5 days. Way faster than making Limoncello, for instance! So you don’t have to plan too far in advance but it does take a little preparation.
The recipe I’m using said to use "10 good-sized chunks" for a fifth of vodka. Now that doesn’t even give me an idea of how much to actually use. So, I’m using my own (hopefully) good sense.
I decided to make a smaller batch using just a pint of vodka. I cut up enough watermelon so that the the amounts were about equal. In other words about 2 cups of watermelon chunks for the two cups of vodka. That turned out to be about 12 oz of watermelon. These amounts don’t have to be exact. In supermarkets around here the little personal sized Dulcinea watermelons are showing up everywhere and they are also on special this week – I guess for V-day. They are perfect for this project! I used about 1/2 of a Dulcinea. (And then ate most of the rest of it!)
Once the water melon is cubed, place it in a glass container with a screw-on or clamp down top. You want to be able to seal the mixture from the air. Cover the water melon with the vodka, secure the top and put in a cool, dark place to sit for the next 3 – 5 days. The longer you leave it the stronger the flavor. You can check it periodically to see how you like the flavor.
Once the time is up, strain the liquid back into its original bottle. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Check back in on Thursday to see how I’ll be using it for Happy Hour at Home.
Culinary Fool 
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