All of my fellow weekend warriors…WE MADE IT! It has been a week let me tell ya. I have been especially scatter brained and feel so unorganized for some reason! Maybe it’s the heat going to my brain – My desk at work has more coffee rings than usual and paper thrown about, my clothes are strewn in places everywhere but a hanger in the closet, there always seems to be a dish in the sink, and this is the first blog post I’ve done since Sunday…so yeah, hot mess express reporting to you live. I think everyone has weeks like this sometime, but I’m definitely going to take this weekend to get refreshed and start anew on Monday.

But since it’s Friday and the clock is striking 5 o’clock soon, let’s talk COCKTAILS. Watermelon cocktails to be exact, and they are the answer to all of your summer dreams. I’m normally a bourbon gal and love a good old fashioned, but in the summer I crave a light and refreshing cocktail that I can sip soaking up the sun!

We bought a giant watermelon at the farmer’s market and I immediately knew I wanted to make watermelon juice! First off, have you done this before? It’s fairly easy to do, but I wasn’t prepared how messy it was going to be! De-seeding the watermelon was the only messy part, but after that you just throw the watermelon flesh into a blender, puree, and then put it through a strainer!

Any mess that it makes is SO worth it. Watermelon juice is naturally sweet yet super refreshing. It’s great with just a squeeze of lime on top of ice – but Friday’s after a crazy week calls for boozy watermelon cocktails!

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Watermelon Cocktails

– To make the watermelon juice: Using a large knife, cut 1 inch off the top and bottom of the watermelon and then cut it in half crosswise. Place the watermelon cut side down on a carving board and, using the knife, cut off and discard the rind. Cut the watermelon vertically into 1-inch-thick slices. Working with 1 slice at a time, gently break the watermelon along the vein of seeds. Using a small spoon, scrape off the seeds and transfer the seedless watermelon portions to the blender. You may have to work in batches. Puree the watermelon for a few seconds and then strain the watermelon juice through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and then pour into mason jars to store for up to a week!

For the cocktail

1. fill glass with ice
2. fill glass halfway with watermelon juice
3. add a shot (or two!) of vodka
4. squeeze half of a lime in there
5. top with club soda if your heart desires (or keep it as it is)
6. stir it up and top with some fresh mint
7. drink up!