I Carried a Watermelon Margarita | Dirty Dancing #FoodnFlix

We headed back to the 80's for this month's edition of Food 'n Flix with one of the best coming-of-age chick flicks of all-time, Dirty Dancing! This is one of those movies that I've seen so many times I could recite it in my sleep. I owned it on VHS, I own it on DVD, and I can't resist stopping to watch it when I come across it while flipping channels on TV. Plus, the soundtrack! I had it on tape and remember listening to one side and flipping it over in my walkman...or dual cassette deck stereo with record player...time and time again.

product review: DonQ Cristal Rum + some tasty cocktails

Clean.  Smooth.  Sweet with floral notes.  Sippable!  Seriously, I'm not much of a liquor sipper, but I can pour myself a small glass of DonQ Cristal Rum over ice and sip it.  Without freaking out.  It's true, I do prefer my liquor with mixers, in cocktails, or in food...but occasionally I come across something so utterly easy to drink that it's ridiculous.  DonQ Rums is one of those things.  Sure, I still get that slow-burn...but it's the kind that puts a smile on my face.  You know, instead of the kind that makes my eyes water and my nose shoot flames.  It's funny, because I really think this crystal clear Jamaican rum tastes sweet.  Now, I know that I need to learn more about the aging and distilling process of liquor.  Not just need to, but actually want to.  I was intrigued to learn that DonQ uses a multiple distillation system which produces a "cleaner, more refined, and more delicate flavor profile" in a rum.  Cristal is also aged in American White Oak barrels which in turn add a touch more smoothness.  It's been told that it is so smooth that you could substitute it in a vodka drink and "most people won't be able to tell the difference."  Nice. 

So, sipping this rum that was so pleasant and unique from others I've tried in the past, it got me wondering What Makes Great Rum?  Delightful Flavor, Distinctive Clarity, Purity, and True Infusion.  Read more in depth about these characteristics and see a full size Making DonQ Rum Chart over at the DonQ website.   Also read about how DonQ gives back by using sustainable practices to keep their beloved Puerto Rico clean.  I hear tell that DonQ Cristal makes the "World's Finest Mojito"...and I don't doubt it for a second.  So, aside from my delight at being able to sip it, I also slightly adapted a couple of the drinks developed by Soy Chiever, Head Mixologist at Ava Lounge, NYC.

Raspberry Mojito Royale
yield: 1 drink

1½ oz. DonQ Cristal Rum
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
¾ oz. simple syrup*
4 fresh raspberries + more to garnish
handful fresh mint
ice
Champagne or sparkling wine

Muddle raspberries with most of the mint.  Add rum, lime juice, simple syrup and some ice.  Shake vigorously.  Strain into glass filled with ice.  Top it off with a splash of champagne.  Garnish with extra mint and raspberries, if you wish.

*simple syrup: Combine equal parts superfine sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil to dissolve.  Let cool.  Store in fridge.

While I LOOOOOVED the Raspberry Mojito Royale...I also found some serious enjoyment in these Watermelon DonQ-iri (think Daquiri and substitute the word DonQ to pronounce).  I think crunching on the sugar crystal with each sip was my favorite part of the drink.

Watermelon DonQ-iri

yield: 1 drink

3 oz. DonQ Cristal rum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1½ oz. agave nectar
2 oz. watermelon, puréed
ice
watermelon wedge or chunks, to garnish

raw or demerara sugar, for glass

Dip rim of glass in a bit of lime juice or water, then dip it into the raw or demerara sugar.

  Set aside.  Shake rum, lime juice, agave mectar, watermelon puree and ice.  Strain into glasses rimmed with raw sugar.  Garnish with watermelon.

*Oh, I also used my DonQ Cristal Rum to make some homemade Vanilla Extract.  I am totally stoked to find out how that turns out. Check back in 4-6 weeks for an update!

Explore the history and heritage of Delstilería Serallés or connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to stay abreast of more news, facts, contests, and tidbits.

*I received a free bottle of DonQ Cristal Rum to test and review.  All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

Feta and Watermelon Salad

Have I told you before that I do NOT like watermelon?  Strange, right?  It's not that I don't try to like it...I give a go every summer...to the same (no) avail.  Unimpressive.  That's my word for it.  Boring.  Sweet and watery.  Probably the same qualities that endear it to countless others.  When I hit the Farmer's Market, I always try the different varieties...in hopes I'll find the one that will reel me in...make me a believer.  The ones with the delicate, pink flesh...the ones with the blazing, crimson flesh...even the ones with flesh as golden as the summer sun it was grown under.  Nada.  I don't hate it...it's more indifference than anything, I suppose.  Sure, I've posted different things using watermelon as an ingredient before...and I'll do it again...because my husband and my daughter can easily split a watermelon between themselves and often do.  Just the other day hubs held his belly and sort of groaned out the phrase "I feel like I just drank two gallons of water." Well, helllll-ooooo!  Watermelon's like what- 97% water or something.  Anyhoo...since I brought home a watermelon for the watermelon eaters, I decided to try something different with a bit of it...a simple salad from Bittman.  It's served over an iceberg wedge...so this salad in mostly water. Sounds wet, huh?  It's different, but it's light and perfect for a sweltering mid-summer day...with a glass of something fruity and alcoholic...to eat whilst waiting for something grilled and substantial...

Feta and Watermelon Salad

from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Combine watermelon balls (or cubes...or ovals, like I used) in a bowl with crumbled Feta HOMEMADE! , sliced radishes, chopped fresh chives I used basil, actually, and a few drops of olive oil;  toss well.  Spoon over a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce, making sure to use all the extra juices left in the bottom of the bowl.

Fin.

It didn't make me a convert...but it wasn't too bad.

Like I hinted at before, I think it'd be a great salad to munch on while sitting around chatting with the girls...and imbibing in some liquid lip-loosener...spending a girls night in!! Which is why this is my IHCC entry for the week.

I'm also submitting it to Reeni for her Side Dish Showdown for July.

And I'm sending it over to Melodie for Vegetarian Foodie Fridays.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that's what "they" are referring to when "they" say ...seeing the world through rose-colored glasses...
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Have a groovy weekend...

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Minty Watermelon Frozen Margaritas

How ironic is it that my first ever BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient) entry is during the week featuring watermelon? You see, I do NOT like watermelon. Weird, right? But, I figured I could cover up the flavor...or perhaps it's the lack of flavor that I don't really care for...with tequila. I mean, I like tequila. What's a little watermelon if there's tequila involved?

I believe I may have been in withdrawal lately...it's been waaaaaaay too long since I last had a margarita. I used to go out for margarita's with a friend of mine a couple times a month. Then, she lost her job, hubby lost his job, we moved...time passed and we both have had so much on our plates (but not in our glasses...wink, wink).

We've finally set a date to meet over margaritas, but since that's a few weeks out, I decided I'd make some at home. Hubby is over here, at this precise moment saying I don't understand why you don't like this (he's eating watermelon) and you DO like the margarita. Um, tequila. Duh. Insert eye roll. I wanted to add some mint, just for sh*ts & giggles, so...I made up a little mint simple syrup first.

Minty Simple Syrup

1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 small handful mint leaves

Place everything in a small pan over med-high heat. Bring to boil. Stir to make sure all sugar is dissolved. Turn off and remove from heat. Let cool. Strain out mint leaves and store in an airtight container in fridge.
Minty Watermelon Frozen Margaritas
yield: ~3

Watermelon, seedless- (~1/8th of a watermelon cut in chunks) to yield 1 c. juice
Minty simple syrup- 1/4 c.
Fresh squeezed lime juice- 1/4 c. (~2 small limes)
Tequila- 1 c.
Triple Sec- 1/3 c.
ice cubes- 1 c. for runny margaritas/ 3 or more cups for frozen margaritas

First, place watermelon chunks into blender and very carefully pushing down with wooden spoon, pulse until watermelon becomes watery. Once enough water is in blender to flow freely, blend it all up into a liquid. If you have more than 1 c. of watermelon juice in the blender, remove the extra (save for another batch).


Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Run a lime wedge around rim of glass and dip in either coarse salt or raw sugar. Cut a garnish if you like. Pour into prepared glasses and enjoy!



I'm sending this over to Kim at The Ungourmet for my first entry into BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient)! Tootles...off to drink another margaritas. Hmmm, maybe watermelon's not so bad afterall.