For those of you who are unfamiliar with Edible Austin magazine, it is a fabulous publication that is focused entirely on locally produced food and beverage products. They are officially in their second year in print with last week's release of the summer issue. Somehow Tipsy and I managed to convince the publisher of the magazine that Edible Austin needed a Drinkable Austin feature, and that we were just the kind of tipsy Texans for the job. It is possible that there were a few cocktails being consumed during this conversation, but I don't exactly remember. Regardless, some time last fall she agreed and our first Tipsy Texan column appeared in the Spring issue. I started a post about that issue a little while before the issue came out, but decided it was unwise to scoop my own work. Then I forgot about it entirely. This time around, I am only a week or so late.

Since the focus of the magazine is on local food and beverage products (and to a larger extent, on sustainable living in general), we had to point our muddlers in the direction of the summer garden. In Texas, that means melons:

First up we did a Watermelon Mojito, which we were fortunate enough to have featured on the cover. (Thank you, Edible!) I am well aware that the Mojito is a tired feature of many an unimaginative cocktail menu, at home by now at the corporate-owned family restaurant of your choice. However, I think that the drink is almost never made well, at least not here in Austin, which is a damn shame given the frequency with which it is made in this hot hot town (I mean hot as in temperature, not as in "like, so cool"). We chose the Mojito because when made properly it is a delicious refresher in a city that despite the months of high-90's and 100+ degree days people still insist on dining outside whenever it is an option, which it is at many places for almost the whole year. Another thing going for the Mojito is that all or most of the ingredients can come from local sources, now that Treaty Oak rum is on the market. It is also a summery twist on a drink that is well-known enough that Austinites might at least like to try it, as opposed to, say, the esoteric Stonewall Sour that we also made for this issue, which I will describe in a moment, and which I suspect nobody will venture to make... . The Watermelon Mojito satisfies our need to make a drink that is democratic enough that the thirsty Edible reader can make it at home by just following a few steps; the Stonewall Sour is complex enough to appeal to the more accomplished tippler, and, I hope, our would-be peers in the craft mixology community.

My recipe makes a pitcher drink, because I do not like minty bits getting in the finished product, especially with this variation that is already overloaded with watermelon pulp. When I get a watermelon from the farmer's market I trim it in its entirety when I get home so that it is all in bite-size pieces ready for the fridge. In the process, I try to trim away the veins of seeds. Eating watermelon by the slice and spitting out the seeds may be the picture of summer recreation, but I prefer to snack on (or muddle) seedless chunks, chilled to a frosty 38 degrees.

Watermelon Mojito (By the pitcher)
Making the base drink and adding the club soda later assures that all refills are properly fizzy. To make the base drink, muddle a handful of mint leaves with 1/4 cup light brown sugar and ¼ cup lime juice in the bottom of a glass pitcher. Add 1 cup light rum (like Treaty Oak) and ½ cup aged rum (such as Mt. Gay). Adjust flavor to your liking. In the bottom of a tall glass, muddle 3 - 4 chunks of ripe watermelon. Add ice, and fill glass 2/3 full with mojito base. Top with club soda and garnish with a slice of watermelon and sprig of mint.

For something a little more complex (and time consuming), try the Stonewall Sour. It incorporates several delicious summer flavors from the garden: juicy peach (in the form of a peach gastrique-like syrup), ripe cantaloupe, and basil. Ever since Camper English declared on Alcademics that in 2008 vinegar would be the new egg white, I have wanted to incorporate it into a cocktail, and I like the way this came out.

Stonewall Sour
Start by making this
Sour Peach Gastrique
¼ cup champagne (or other white) vinegar
½ cup peach nectar
1 tablespoon local honey
2 tablespoons raw sugar
In a small saucepan, reduce vinegar to 1 ½ tablespoons. Add peach nectar and reduce to ¼ cup. Stir in honey and raw sugar, allow to cool. The result will be a sour syrup that you can experiment with in your favorite summer cocktails or other culinary creations.

For the drink:
1 ½ Pisco
½ fresh lime juice
½ simple syrup
2-3 chunks ripe cantaloupe
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Sprig basil
1 oz sour peach gastrique

In a mixing glass, muddle cantaloupe, basil, lime juice and simple syrup. Add pisco, bitters, and sour peach gastrique. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

To complete the lineup I called on Mindy Kucan, who is a bartender at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin. She has won and placed in numerous cocktail contests, and won the title “Hilton Hotel’s Best Bar Chef” with this drink. A variation of her recipe is featured in the DVD "Travel. Taste. Toast." which stars Tony Abou-Ganim mixing the drinks for the Hilton Hotels International cocktail menu. Because Mindy's recipe involved a local product that is not available outside of Texas, the recipe was altered. This did not get in the way of Mindy's getting to travel to New Orleans last summer to receive her award and some face time with Tony...

Hot Summer Night
Created by Mindy Kucan

1 ¼ oz local vodka (Tito's, Savvy, or Dripping Springs)
½ oz Paula’s Texas Lemon liqueur
½ oz lemon juice
2 oz Sprite
4 sprigs thyme

De-stem 3 sprigs thyme and muddle in mixing glass with honey and lemon juice. Add ice, vodka and PTL. Stir lightly and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Top with Sprite. Garnish with remaining sprig of thyme.