Watermelon has the power of taking me back to my childhood on the family ranch. On lazy, hot summer days my cousins would come visit and one of our favorite treats was the large platters of chilled, sweet watermelon my Nana would bring out after lunch.
What can be more refreshing than cold, sweet, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day? This watermelon and tequila sorbet tastes like summer in a bowl, even better, since it boasts a very adult spike of silver tequila.
Many people find it intimidating to make ice cream or sorbets. I have to tell you, it's one of the easiest things you can do! I tend to prefer making very simple, clean fruit flavors, and all you need is a blender and an ice cream maker (but even that is optional).
If you have an ice cream maker, then this recipe will be a breeze, but if you don’t, you can still make a very good sorbet. You only need a deep tray and you can freeze the mixture in stages, bringing it out and scraping it at intervals to achieve a frozen texture. It's not as smooth as churned sorbets but it's just as delicious.
When I worked at the restaurant, this sorbet was a popular item on the menu. Since the restaurant was Italian, there was no question of flavoring it with tequila. Instead, I used Sambuca – and even though that is not Italian either, at least the flavor was more akin to Italian flavors. The anise liquor complemented the watermelon beautifully and it was a huge hit.
If you are serving this to little ones, just omit the booze. It will be just as delicious without it. Just sit back and watch them, it will disappear in a flash!
- 5 cups cubed watermelon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons silver tequila
- mint springs for garnish