Cocktailgating with the Tipsy Texan: Watermelon Mojito Recipe [Watch]

By Rose Cahalan in Food, Special, TXEX on August 29, 2013 at 2:37 pm | No Comments

David Alan, BA ’08, Life Member, who calls himself the Tipsy Texan, majored in American Studies at UT. “I just kind of stumbled into it,” he says, “but it turned out to be perfect for what I do now. I teach and write and speak about cocktails from a multidisciplinary perspective, which is how American Studies is taught.”

Alan has the enviable job of cocktail expert and freelance restaurant and hospitality consultant. In addition to teaching cocktail classes and helping bars around town amp up their drink menus, Alan recently published his first book, Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State.

In the video tutorial above, Alan demonstrates how to mix a simple watermelon mojito.”Watermelon is in season in late summer,” he says, “and it’s definitely refreshing for gameday.” Find the full recipe below.

Gather your ingredients:

4 large sprigs fresh mint

1/2 cup cubed and seeded watermelon

1/2 to 3/4 oz. simple syrup (to make simple syrup, boil 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar until dissolved)

1 1/2 oz. white rum

1 1/2 oz. carbonated water

Lime wedge, for garnish

Mix your drink:

1. Gently muddle three of the mint sprigs and the watermelon with the simple syrup in the bottom of a mixing glass.

2. Add the rum and lime juice and shake vigorously with ice to chill. You may need to adjust the amount of syrup depending on how sweet your watermelon is.

3. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and top with carbonated water.

4. Garnish with the remaining mint sprig and the lime wedge and serve with a straw.

At right: David Alan, left, with his partner Joe Eifler. Photo courtesy David Alan.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State.