cocktail #1 – grapefruit, thyme, lemon balm syrup (?)
cocktail #2 – watermelon, cucumber, spicy-heat

in both cases the flavors were very good. but, cocktail #1, was warm and not strained. wtf people. cocktail #2, wasn’t cold, kind of watery.

the two big problems, which trickled down to cause other problems:

- low energy level. leading to feeling uninspired, rushed, less willing fix mistakes and adjust flavors, more willing to accept mediocrity
- lack of appetite. i tasted everything i made, and tweaked accordingly, but one’s palate when one is ready for a delicious cocktail is far different than when one is ready to lie down on the couch with an ice bag.

some specific problems:

- i premade/mixed/muddled, with the thought that letting herbs, ginger, etc steep in the mixture would improve flavor. (i also thought the mess would be in my kitchen and not my brothers. (turns out i made a mess in both)) i was wrong. flavors were more intense, but not better. [note: i may have also over muddled them, i've since learned that such a thing is an everpresent danger with herbs]
- i made three drinks: watermelon margarita (like a regular margarita but substituting watermelon syrup for simple syrup), beau retard, and urb saint. (urb saint is a fantastic drink by alex smith of thirsty bear, recipe can be found here) the watermelon syrup was maybe past its prime. the beau retard was a little booze heavy (but no one seemed to mind). the urb saint, i decided to add more kumquat than the recipe called for, which is fine, but the correct thing to do was to just add a little at a time, tasting as i went. instead i just doubled the amount. because of this, or because of the pre-mixing, the drink was too pithy. but still drinkable.

sickness-based abstinence sucks mega donkey balls. persimmon experiments aint doin theyselves.

this is a good drink, as it adheres to the basic formula. but i don’t really taste the cardamom. too many competing flavors? i also used too much ginger, or maybe it was too old/strong.

i would make this again. maybe use the cardamom as a rim, for scent…mixed into the drink, it collected at the bottom (even after straining) and the last few sips tasted progressively like incense.

i finally used up the rest of the watermelon syrup making a punch for jp. (basically all the ingredients above, but more watermelon syrup, a lot of ice and water, and no booze.) of course i still have 3/4ths of a watermelon in the fridge. wtf was i thinking.

the sesame orgeat i made (1/2 C almond milk, 1/4 cup seeds) was a little too overpowering of sesame, i also wish i’d used plain water the first time around. next time, a 3:1 or maybe even 4:1 ratio should be just fine. maybe i’ll try toasting the seeds, too.

the mango-sesame drink was good, but something was missing.

one nice surprise…the watermelon flesh, though bland when eaten off the rind, produced a bright and flavorful syrup (and eventually, cocktail). not sure how or why that happens. maybe it is the magic of sugar and alcohol.

big sis made the comment ‘its like an adult jolly rancher’. unfortunate but true. certain things have specific, unalienable connotations. like how adolf used to be a perfectly viable name for a boy. or like how i probably shouldn’t have used the term “unalienable”.

or, for example, cranberry and orange–this combination is reserved for thanksgiving. i would never put them in a cocktail. lemongrass–unless its background to other strong flavors, all i taste is froot loops. cherry–almost always a bad idea, thanks to cough syrup.

and, yeah, i think jolly rancher has staked a claim to watermelon. but that’s ok. jolly ranchers take me back to the days when twenty-five cents and a two-block scamper to 7-11 (”the sev”) was all what life was about.

and watermelon was always my favorite jolly rancher flavor.

mango-sesame alignment (draft 1)

2 oz vodka
1 oz lemon
1 oz mango
1 oz sesame orgeat

combine all ingredients, shake with ice, pour through fine strainer.

sesame orgeat

3-4 parts water
1 part sesame seeds
3-4 parts sugar
orange peel

process the seeds and water with a hand blender or similar. strain through a cheesecloth.

in a jar, muddle the peel with a little sugar. add the sesame seed milk and the rest of the sugar, shake until dissolved.

watermelon-lime alignment (draft 1)

2 oz vodka
1 oz lime
1 oz watermelon syrup (approx 3 parts juice, 2 parts sugar, shake to dissolve)
1 stem cilantro
3 mint leaves
soy-chili-sugar rim

muddle the herbs, combine the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, pour through strainer. rim the glass with soy-chili-sugar.

soy-chili-sugar

6 parts sugar
1 part soy-salt
1 part hot chili powder

(soy-salt: combine in a bowl kosher salt and enough soy to soak up the salt. put the bowl in a 150F oven, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dry.)

combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, mashing with the back of a spoon, if necessary.