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.)