Recipe

• 2oz mezcal
• 4oz tonic water
• Frozen watermelon ice cubes

Place frozen watermelon cubes into a glass. Add other ingredients. Finish with your garnishes of choice (I added a hint of worm salt and the oils from a grapefruit twist).

About

I almost never buy full sized watermelons, but I had a party and wanted to use a watermelon shell as a punch bowl, so I just liquified the pulp and tossed it into ice cube trays. Whadadya know? Watermelon ice cubes are perfect for _ & tonics. (They’re also fantastic for punches to bring to parties. It won’t overdilute as it sits there and is also fun when the flavor changes; especially good with spritz-like punches that might be a bit bitter to start with.

I chose a super fruity mezcal I recently picked up (Yuu Baal Espadin), paired it with some Q tonic water, and OMG. So delicious. Fruity yet smoky, and so easy to drink any time of day. As the pulp melted, it gradually got sweeter and sweeter…and by the time I was done, I was definitely ready for a second round. Dangerous.

To further enhance the mezcal and tonic water, here are some additional topping/garnish ideas: grapefruit, sal de gusano (worm salt) or regular sea salt, lime zest, charred corn, and coconut flakes.