Genius watermelon cubes chill drinks without diluting
Ice is genius. The cube is genius. The ice cube is genius times two to the third. No doubt a large number. And yet, the ice enthusiast maintains aspirations.
Like transparency. Many a cocktail engineer employs distilled water, double-boiled water, double-boiled distilled water or an enormous machine that squeezes out the air bubbles, yielding perfectly clear ice. He carves the crystal into big, bold blocks that make drinks colder — and cooler.
On the flip side, many an ice aficionada fills her trays with berries, flowers and herbs — frozen fossils that dress up chill concoctions.
Both approaches suffer from the same design flaw. Ice is crafted from water, and water tends toward watery. In a tumbler of scotch, a bit of melt is the goal. In every- thing else, it’s a nuisance. Which explains the current craze for redundancy: Coffee cubes for iced coffee, chai cubes for iced tea, cookiesand-milk cubes for no good reason at all.
Watermelon is one step ahead: Just cut and freeze. The cubes tumble out pretty, tasty and incapable of diluting a drink. Genius, minus the fuss.
Prep: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours freezing and chilling Cook: 5 minutes
Makes: 5 cups syrup, serves 10
4 big slabs watermelon 2 cups water
2 cups
Finely grated zest of 4
limes
2 cups freshly squeezed
lime juice
10 fresh mint leaves Sparkling water, optional
1. Freeze: Cut watermelon into neat 1-inch cubes. (No need to remove seeds — they’re cute.) Set cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze firm, at least 2 hours. Pile into a zip-close bag, and store in freezer.
2. Simmer: Measure water and sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved and syrup turns from cloudy to clear, 3 to 4 minutes. Pull pan off heat. Stir in zest. Pour into a heat-proof jar and allow to cool to room temperature, uncovered. Transfer to refrigerator to chill, covered. When cold, stir in juice.
Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.
3. Serve: For each drink, pile frozen watermelon cubes into a tall glass. Add 1 mint leaf. Pour in equal parts water (or sparkling water) and lime syrup. Stir. Sip. Smile.
Cut 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally; place them on a plate. Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced; pour over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken over a medium-hot fire until cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Place 2 lemons cut side down on the grill until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve chicken, sliced, over couscous; squeeze the grilled lemons over. Makes: 4 servings
lemon chicken — just as tart- lowed by an undertone of Drink this ness and sweetness coexist fresh herbs and a hint of
Pairings by sommelier in lemonade. sweetness from the picolit. Alan Beasey of The Purple ■ 2013 Bastianich Vespa ■ 2013 Guy Amiot et Pig, as told to Michael Austin: Bianco, Friuli-Venezia Fils, Bourgogne Pinot
■ 2015 Weingut TegernGiulia, Italy: For a white Noir, Burgundy, France: seerhof Federspiel Terwine with more body and This fresh and fruity red rassen Riesling, Wachau, structure, this blend of char- wine boasts bright red cherry Austria: This riesling has donnay, sauvignon blanc and ripe raspberry aromas, aromas of grapefruit, fresh and picolit is complex yet and flavors that are bright lemons and lemon verbena, elegant, with rich fruit and and crisp: black cherries plus flavors of peach and crisp acidity. Aromas include and black currants compleripe apricot, honeydew citrus, tropical fruit, peach mented by a touch of savory melon and bit of mineral- and honeysuckle. On the pal- herbs, slight tannins and ity. A touch of sweetness ate the wine is lush without tart acidity. The style will on the finish will perfectly being heavy, with lemon, match the light and savory contrast the tartness of the pineapple and apricots fol- dish well.