When I was pregnant for the first time, I thought I would miss drinking alcohol – it is not that I drank very much, but it was nice to have a drink every once in a while.  At that point in my life, I really loved a good bottle of beer.  I was mostly into fruit beers, like apricot, raspberry, and oh blueberry (just thinking about it makes me want one) that we found in a brewery in Boulder one weekend….but would be happy with a nice Belgium brew without fruit as well.  This was before I was into the cocktail craze, and if I did order a cocktail – it was a Cosmo.  Pregnancy turned me into the mocktails, that is for sure.  All of a sudden whenever I went out to dinner, I would scour the menu for a good mocktail.  I felt like it was ok to have a few sips of my husband’s beer here and there, but for me, it was mocktails all the way.

There is another baby joining the family soon – my cousin is pregnant, and she is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.  They are both so excited about their daughter who is due in November, and my younger one is even more excited thinking about the possibility that this baby could come on her birthday.  My cousin is not just a typically pregnant mother-to-be, she is also a scientist.  I happen to know the type of person who becomes a scientist – since I have been married to one for almost 17 years.  There are no simple answers to a scientist – and that’s when her blog was born.  If you are pregnant – this is a great source of information – not medical advice, just different mysteries of being pregnant (as she puts it) “from a scientists perspective.”  The Pregnant Scientist is not only informative, it is actually quite fun to read whether you are pregnant or not.

So back to the drinks.  Watermelon is summertime’s classic fruit.  When I was visiting my mother, instead of serving all the watermelon for dessert – I decided to experiment a little – and boy was I glad I did.  This drink was exactly what I was looking for – just the right amount of natural sweetness, and a flavor that screamed summertime.  Of course after I mastered the cocktail – it was time for the mocktail.  The girls loved them, in fact – so did I!  I found myself sneaking sips of there’s when I was done with my cocktail.  So give this watermelon a whirl, and see what you think.  Whether you drink or not – are pregnant or not, which ever drink you choose, I think you will agree that it is a party in a glass – a nice summertime garden party overlooking the ocean.  Cheers!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons watermelon juice
• 2 tablespoons Chartreuse (cocktail only)
• 4 tablespoons Gin (cocktail only)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (and more for garnish)
• 6 mint leaves
• Club Soda (mocktail only)

Preparation

Place watermelon chunks in a blender and puree until liquefied.  Strain the liquid so you are left with just watermelon juice, and the discard the solids.  Place the mint leave in a shaker with some ice, and muddle the leaves with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add the watermelon juice, Chartreuse, Gin and fresh lime juice.  Shake the drink and strain into a martini glass with a fresh slice of lime as a garnish.  If you are making a mocktail, omit the Chartreuse and Gin, and after you strain into a glass, add some ice and club soda.  If you like a sweeter drink, you can add 1 tablespoon of agave nectar.

Makes 1 drink

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Watermelon Whirl