Come On Barbie, Let’s Go…Drink One Of These Perfect Pink Cocktails

2 chunks of fresh watermelon, approximately golf ball sized
¼ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. simple syrup or one teaspoon of superfine sugar
2-3 mint leaves
2 oz. sangria base (explained below)
2. oz white wine (or light-bodied red wine if you prefer)

Start by making a sangria base the night before. Just cut up some citrus fruit and put them in a two- or three-gallon pitcher. Lemons, limes, and oranges are best—just two or three of each. You can use grapefruit if you like a little bitterness in your drinks. Toss in some fresh berries if you have them, and give them a little squish with a spoon to release the juices. You can also add food grade rose buds or hibiscus tea, and some chunks of cucumber. Do what you want. There are no rules.

Pour in a bottle of apricot or other fruit brandy and a bottle of triple sec. You can also add rum to the base, if you like. Just don’t use any spirits with dark color, or your finished product will look brownish. Let the base marinate overnight.

When you’re ready to make the cocktails, cut some seedless red watermelon into large chunks. Squeeze a few limes and pull the bigger leaves off some fresh sprigs of mint. Reserve the tiny leaves at the ends for garnish. Cut some lime wheels and skewer some small chunks of melon for garnish as well.

Muddle the fruit, lime juice, simple syrup, and mint leaves in a large shaker tin, making sure to break up the watermelon and mint leaves thoroughly. Add to the shaker tin 2 oz. sangria base and 2 oz. white wine.

Shake well and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a lime wheel, and a skewer of melon. If you want to get fancy, you can marinate the garnishing melon chunks overnight in brandy or rum with shredded mint leaves.

Recipe from Commander’s Palace.