Drinking With Dear Wendy: Honeydew Vodka
Last week I went out for drinks with my friend Mary to a new neighborhood spot called Bar Chuko (across the street from its sister location, Chuko, which has some of the city’s best ramen, fyi). I ordered something called a “Cucumber Melon Fizz” which was described as “cucumber, honeydew melon vodka, soda.” It was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had in my life (and I’m counting non-boozey stuff, too, like milkshakes and lemonade freezes). Seriously, it was good. So, when I got home, I tried to find a recipe for it but failed. Then, I decided to try to recreate it as best as I could. I started by making my own infused vodka (with honeydew and cucumber), which is a several day process (in fact, I’m still infusing as we speak, so it will be extra flavorful by the 4th of July to enjoy with friends).
I’m still tweaking the recipe and I think next time, instead of using club soda, I’ll try a lemon soda (like San Pellegrino, which I craved constantly when I was pregnant with Jackson, by the way), but the version I concocted in this episode of DWDW is pretty damn good, and it comes awfully close to what I tried at the bar last week. The lovely thing about a recipe like this is that it’s very easy to adapt for your own tastes and whims. You could add some herbs, like mint or rosemary, maybe freeze some pieces of honeydew to use as ice in lieu of regular ice. You could do like I plan to try next time and use a lemon or lime — or maybe even a ginger — based soda. The possibilities — they’re endless.
I still need a name for this drink, so, if you have a suggestion, please share! For now, I’ll call it Dear Wendy’s Honeydew Fizz. Here’s the recipe:
Makes Two Cocktails:
Fill chilled martini shaker with ice
Add 6 shots of honeydew and cucumber infused vodka*
Add 2 shots of soda (I recommend club soda or a lemon soda)
1/2 tbs of honey simple syrup (make ahead by boiling one part raw honey with one part water, letting simmer and cool for at least 15 minutes; OR you can just add a tsp of regular honey instead)
Shake until your hands are freezing
Pour into glasses (Tom Collins glasses, which are tall and skinny, would be best, but I don’t have any yet)
Garnish with lemon wedges and cucumber slices
*Grey Goose makes a honeydew vodka, but it’s quite easy to make your own:
Fill a large mason jar with chopped honeydew melon and high quality vodka (leave two inches empty at the top)
Store in fridge for 48 hours
Add one peeled and chopped cucumber
Store in fridge another 48-96 hours
Strain through a colander or cheese cloth into a clean jar or mug
Enjoy!
(If you go with store-bought honeydew vodka, be sure to add muddled cucumber into the cocktail or make cucumber juice in a blender with one cucumber and a couple ice cubes, straining through a colander to get rid of seeds. You’ll want to start with maybe a shot of cucumber juice and continue adding for taste.)
So does this taste cucumber-y? I am not a fan of cucumber. Honeydew vodka sounds amazing though. I might try to make a small batch and see how I feel. Only problem being I probably won’t want to share!
It doesn’t taste cucumber-y at all, but this is from someone who thinks cucumber in cocktails simply adds a crispness in flavor and nothing more. You can always try without the cucumber!
I think that’s what I’m going to do. Convenient that I already needed to stop at the store on the way home 😉
My honeydew vodka is now infusing! I’m pretty excited to try it this weekend.
Yummy! So my BF and I LOVE to infuse alcohol. His favorite combo is tequila and pineapple. For father’s day, we got this really nice 2 gallon glass dispensers (I am sure most people use them for water, but whatever.) and filled them with infused alcohol for our dad’s. His dad got the tequila and pineapple combo, while mine got a veggie infused vodka (also Tito’s!) to use for Bloody Mary’s – my dad is famous for making these! The veggie one had celery, cucumbers, carrots, 2 heads of garlic, hot peppers, and onions in it.
*
Yay summer cocktails!!!
One of our favorite things to bring as a take-along to parties is pineapple & cherries soaked in tequila (along with the pineapple & cherry juice), serve with toothpicks! Num Num! It would never last long enuf to become infused tequila around my BF, ha ha ha
Sometimes if I’m feeling adventurous I’ll throw in a couple of jalapenos with the pineapple.
Oh, last year he was all about jalapeno tequila! haha…you can definitely have fun with it!!
I went to a bar in Boston two weeks ago where they had hot pepper infused rye whiskey. It actually tasted pretty good by itself and wasn’t too spicy. The bartender said they use it to make a Sazerac.
Love the idea of infused alcohol. I’m not a vodka person but maybe I’ll try this with gin. Also, Lianne, love the idea of pineapple infused tequila. It would pair so nicely with the lime and the triple sec for a margarita. I’m on it!
This. Sounds. Amazing. I’m going to start making that vodka tonight!
This is the greatest Drinking with Wendy ever! Good job! I am still laughing. Have to watch it again.
Yep, still laughing!
HEY! You should call the drink HONEYDREW vodka!!!!!!!!!!!!
get it? get it? honeyDREW!
I actually thought of that! I like it.
You should definitely call it honeydrew vodka. Bassanio doesn’t like melon, so whenever I mention honeydew, he calls it honeyDon’t.
Drew is at his dad’s, jackson’s asleep, and it is storming like a wild banshee, so I’m going to try another honeydrew fizz now that the vodka has had a couple more days to infuse. I’m going to try with the lemon soda i picked up at the store today (brand: Q Drinks, which is made here in brooklyn).
I’m at work. For some reason, all companies in the world buying other companies in the world want to close like yesterday. Why, Wendy, why?
JERKS
Wendy, it’s so sad in my office – it’s quiet, it’s rainy and dreary outside my window. I need a HoneyDrew! Wanna see how sad it is in my office plus a sexy leg shot?
You do? Great. http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p789/AddieFPray/sad_zpsc0ca4817.jpg
Now do you want to see a picture of Moose? You do? Ok!
I worked from home this am and Moose took my seat.
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p789/AddieFPray/WorkinMoose_zpsf3fbab0b.jpg
oops, that was the wrong picture. it’s still of moose, at my table, but that was from weeks ago. oh well, i gotta get back to work. stop trying to distract me.
Moose! That is one cute dog. It looked like he was very busy, keeping up with those billables…
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Ugh, why does everyone have to post cute pictures of their dogs, I want one!