Watermelon and Thai Basil Martini

The long weekend is here and for us, we'll be celebrating our good friends' weddings (one on Sat and another on Sun)  We're looking forward to watching their first dances, hearing their loved ones' touching words, and, of course, enjoying plenty of good food and drink!

So to celebrate all of our friends' big days, we came up with a Watermelon martini inspired by the one we enjoyed at Public Restaurant.  (Coincidentally, on the night we were there, there was a wedding rehearsal dinner going on at the same time).  Cheers to a sweet new life together!

Watermelon and Thai Basil Martini (serves 2)

4 oz Bacardi Silver rum

2 cups fresh watermelon chunks

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup simple syrup
ice

Thai basil leaves

Spicy Chili Pepper salt (like this one)

1. Rim 2 martini glasses with Spicy Chili Pepper salt. The spicy chili is mild but adds a subtle kick and balances the sweet, fruity drink.

2.  In a separate container, combine the watermelon with a few leaves of basil.  Muddle the fruit and herb together.
3.  Pour the watermelon juice through a strainer into a cocktail shaker.

4. Add rum, lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice.  Shake vigorously.

5. Pour the cocktail into the rimmed glasses (through a strainer if necessary). Add a Thai basil leaf as garnish and serve.

As an aside, the restaurant itself has a beautiful interior space and I enjoyed my original cocktail there ($12).

Public Restaurant is located at 210 Elizabeth St (btwn Prince and Spring Sts) in NYC.