A Watermelon and Spice Cocktail? Try Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz

Watermelon juice is the center of attention in the Catdaddy and London Dry gin cooler, Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz. 

Our friend Rosie 151, that incomparable burlesque enchantress, asked us to make her a Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine summer drink for when she performs at The Way Station in Brooklyn (the first Thursday night of every month at 10:00 sharp). We love watching her croon her way through double entendre–laden standards, with the dixieland jazz band the Red Hook Ramblers. Together, they create a French Quarter speakeasy vibe that fits snugly into the steampunk atmosphere of this Washington Avenue joint. But we had a task in front of us: Rosie wanted something summer-seasonal and fruity. With half a juicy watermelon in one hand and a fit of desperate creative energy in the other, Paul came up with a quick and utterly tasty cooler that’ll make you wish watermelon were in season year round. It’s called Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz (or DGRB for those who prefer acronyms).

Daddy Paul gives Rosie a hug.

To make a DGRB, you need watermelon juice, which is quite easy to make. Just cut up your melon into chucks that’ll fit into a handheld lemon juicer, and squeeze into a measuring cup. That’s it. [SEE Method BELOW FOR ALTERNATIVES.] Pairing the juice with Catdaddy works miracles because it goes so well with the cinnamon and vanilla in the moonshine. But to make the drink more complex, Paul added some lime juice to give it a little pucker, and after that, the herbal complexities of a London dry gin to balance the sweet and tart. You can serve Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz up, but for the dog days of summer, we enjoy topping it with a little fizz, especially Perrier sparkling water from its 250ml cans. (No more wasting an entire liter of bubbles when you only need a splash.) If you can’t make it to Brooklyn to taste the nicely spiced and fruity effervescence of a DGRB, and gaze at its bubbling blushing rosy hue, make one for yourself at home, or for friends who want to hang out with you. Pasties are optional.

Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz

(created by Cocktail Buzz, with the participation of Rosie 151)

Ingredients
1 ounce Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine
1 ounce watermelon juice*
1/2 ounce gin (try Beefeater)
1/2 ounce lime juice
1 1/2 ounces Perrier sparkling water**
ice
lime wedge, as garnish (optional)

Method
Shake all ingredients except sparkling water in ice for 15 seconds. If you want it up, strain (or double-strain if you want a smoother drink) into a coupe or cocktail glass. If you want it fizzy, strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wedge, if you so desire.

* To make watermelon juice, cut a watermelon into chunks (smaller than your fist) that will fit into a hand-squeezed citrus juicer. Squeeze juice into a glass and measure, pouring into a highball glass, or better yet, squeeze directly into a measuring cup. If you don’t have said squeezer, you can mash up the watermelon chunk(s) in a glass using a muddler, then strain. Alternatively, if you have a blender, you can blend the chunks, then strain.

** You can substitute club soda.

Thanks 
Laura Baddish at The Baddish Group for providing cans of Perrier sparkling water, and Piedmont Distillers for the Catdaddy.

cocktail photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz
Rosie 151 photo courtesy of Ann Yoo

Fresh Summer Produce Makes a Cocktail Swing: Part III: Watermelon and The Gin Stevie Cocktail

A seasonal miniseries showing you how to use farm-fresh ingredients in your cocktails.

by Steve Schul

Steve shares his love for using seasonal ingredients in his signature cocktail.

I just love watermelon at its peak during the summer, when one bite into a slice sends pink juice dripping down your chin. When its sweetness reminds you instantly how much you loved it last summer. I definitely wanted to make a cocktail with watermelon, but in a way I had never heard of before. My inspiration came from an old Imbibe Magazine recipe for Watermelon–Sake Popsicles. What overgrown child doesn’t love an ice-cold popsicle on a hot summer’s day, and if it’s watermelon, even better. And with sake? Well hip, hip hoorah.

I think we all get crazy for watermelon in the summertime because of the uniqueness of its sweetness. Sure, its texture is unmatched by any other fruit I can think of, the slightly rough structure that collapses with just a little pressure, shooting forth a big burst of honeysweet goodness. So I decided to make ice cubes inspired by the popsicles, plop some of those into a tall glass, and tickle the cubes with the herbaceous tastes of basil and spearmint, and anoint with a generous portion of Hendrick’s gin, graced by lovely cucumber and rose notes. With each sip, the watermelon–sake ice cubes slowly melt, and with each consecutive sip, you are taken on a journey from tart booziness to slushy sweetness. I know that to make these drinks requires a little effort beyond regular mixing skills, but do believe me when I say they will delight all the guests at your cocktail party. Make sure you have plenty of everything so that each person gets at least two drinks, three for the heavy hitters.

Paul and I love to pair our Gin Stevies with another summertime favorite—heirloom tomatoes. We dice them and dollop generous portions on freshly toasted baguette to create the perfect bruschetta. Take a bite, and follow with a generous sip of this tall summer cooler bursting with flavor.

{ For the recipe and to watch our video pairing the Gin Stevie with Bruschetta, click here. }

The Story Behind the Bruschetta and Those Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes

Every summer we drive up to the North Shore of Boston, to a lazy little little town called Pride’s Crossing, to visit our friends Jim and Lou, and their Dalmatians. Paul was friends with Jim about twenty years ago. They lost touch with each other, as most peripatetic souls do, but were reunited several years back while having dinner in a Boston restaurant. We read about Orinoco and its Venezuelan-inspired menu in a local dining guide and thought we’d give it a try. The restaurant, in a gentrifying part of town, seemed magical. The wait staff enchanted us with mouth-watering descriptions of seasonal fare. At dinner, Paul was telling Steve all about his long-lost friend, Jim, and how for a few years they shared laughs and tales of growing up closeted in their respective New England towns, and while the tale of Jim was being told, there was Jim, with a friend, dining in the same restaurant. After much hugging, and wide-eyed disbelief at the serendipity of coincidence, Jim invited us up to his home. “You’d be crazy not to come.” So of course, we canceled the balance of our hotel reservation and headed up to Pride’s Crossing, but not until the owner of the restaurant, after witnessing this miracle reunion, invited us over to his table for desserts as he regaled us with tales of growing up a foodie in Venezuela.

Heirloom tomatoes can add an unexpected flavors to your summer cocktail party.

We decided to sleep off the effects of the dinner and met up with Jim the next day. As we followed behind him on Route 127 to his home, we turned up a private lane, and following a forest-lined narrow road, entered the gates to the property. The theme from “Dynasty” filled our mind’s ears as we gazed with jaws agape at the enormity of the house and the grounds filled with gorgeous flowers at every turn. Their estate is dubbed “Sunset Rock” and the house sits right next to a bluff overlooking Salem Sound and all the cays that dot the ocean. Lou and Jim are both inveterate gardeners, Jim focusing on the floral landscaping, Lou, the edible. Lou’s obsession with heirloom tomatoes is a blessing to his all his guests. If we visit late enough in the season, we always end up with arms full of these ripe juicy beauties. One summer, after making our friend Evangeline’s tomato tart (it was featured in the August 31, 2003, New York Times, so you know it has to be good!) with Lou’s tomatoes, we still had a bunch left. So we diced them all, bought a loaf of bread, and presto, instant bruschetta. Bruschetta (pronounced broo-SKEH-tuh) is a classic Italian appetizer made with six simple ingredients: bread, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil. In our version, we’ve added the slightly hot and bright zing of red jalapeños . . . it brings out the sweetness in the Gin Stevie and other drinks. Heirloom tomatoes in all their variety add a saturation of color and act as a perfect foil to the watermelon, basil, and mint. Be forewarned: the appetizer course may last a while—your guests won’t be able to get enough of this dazzling duo.

The Gin Stevie and Bruschetta Make a Perfect Pairing

Ah, the Gin Stevie. Watermelon–Sake ice cubes slowly melting in a pool of muddled mint and basil bathed in gin and lime juice.

Watermelon is still in season as we enter late summer. So Steve came up with an amazing cocktail that is perfectly paired with bruschetta topped with heirloom tomatoes and just a hint of red jalapeño. It’s called the Gin Stevie, and you will fall in love by drink’s end. Two drinks and you’re ready to walk down the aisle (sadly for us that is not a reality here in Brooklyn).

Politics aside (though you should be gearing up to vote this November), we are concerned now with the success of your cocktail party. Perhaps you are planning one this coming weekend and want something different, something relatively simple, and of course something delicious. Steve has crafted his Gin Stevie in a highball glass using chilled Hendrick’s gin, fresh lime juice, some watermelon–sake ice cubes (which were inspired by a recipe in Imbibe Magazine), and basil and mint leaves. Top with a little soda, garnish with a sprig of the mint, and bingo! the taste of summer comes sharply into focus.

We pair the Gin Stevie with bruschetta. Why? Because watermelon and tomato know how to get down and boogie-oogie-oogie with each other without stepping on one another’s toes. Balance is key, so we added a bit of red jalapeño to the bruschetta topping to bring out the sweetness in the Gin Stevie. Bruschetta is so easy to make, a real no-brainer, that requires you to grill some sliced baguette, chop up some tomatoes and red jalapeño, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper with a little drizzle of olive oil (oh, and you have to rub a little garlic on the bread once toasted). Simplicity at your grill.


Making a classic tomato bruschetta is easy. Just a few ingredients, and a hot grill are all you need.

Gin Stevie
(created by Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz)

2 ounces gin (we like Hendrick’s for this)
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
5 spearmint leaves
5 basil leaves
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3–4 watermelon–sake ice cubes*
splash of soda
spearmint sprig, as garnish

In a highball glass gently muddle lime juice, simple syrup, and leaves. Add chilled gin, watermelon–sake ice cubes, and soda. Stir. Garnish with sprig. Add a straw.

* Watermelon–sake ice cubes
4-lb. seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
1 ounce fresh lime juice
up to 1 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of watermelon)
180 ml bottle sparkling sake

Add first 3 ingredients to a bowl for at least 15 minutes and up to several days. Transfer contents of bowl to a blender and puree until chunks are broken down. Stir in sake. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until ready to use.

Makes up to 8 dozen cubes. (It may sound like a lot, but trust us, you’ll be much happier with lots in your freezer.)

❤ ❤ ❤

You can learn how to make a Gin Stevie and bruschetta by watching our new video on our Web site, Cocktail Buzz. We had fun shooting it (although we had to wait every time the helicopters whirled above and planes soared by us), and editing was actually a blast. Hope you like the final products. And let us know when you make the Gin Stevie and bruschetta how every little thing turned out. Cheers and Bottoms Up!

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz