The Summer Rain Swizzle: Vodka, Creme de Violette, watermelon, mint, Angostura

Step One: Clean out the gutters. Literally.

Cleaning out the gutters has been on my mind for a while now. I don’t really know why, though. And I’m not being metaphorical here. It’s not a euphemism for an enema or anything like that. I’m talking about actually, literally, getting up there and cleaning out my gutters. Our gutters don’t do a damn thing, and they’re falling off the house anyway, but I still have to clean them every now and then. And the roof was covered in pine needles, so I figured it was time to get up there.

After lunch, though, I needed a 30-minute quiet time. You know, the thing you make your youngsters have when they’re supposed to be napping. After my short snooze, I jumped up, grabbed the ladder and climbed on the roof with a broom in hand.

No sooner had I begun sweeping off my roof then the rain started. Wait, though. Those of you who are not in Houston need to realize that it hasn’t rained in over a month. Just 98 degree hell. Yet today, the day I decide to get on the roof and clean my gutters, the rain falls. Heavy.

Oh well, that’s the hand I’m dealt. So I cleaned my gutters in the rain and swept the entire roof trying not to slip off and bust my ass.

And it felt good.

After a shower, though, it was time for a cocktail.

Time for a swizzle.

Step Two: The Summer Rain Swizzle Recipe

After a hot summer rain, there’s nothing better than a swizzle

First, you need watermelon juice. All we do it put a bunch of watermelon in a blender, and voila! Watermelon juice. Tasty on its own, sure, but also delicious in cocktails.

To make the Summer Rain Swizzle cocktail, muddle quite a few mint leaves. Basically, as much as you think the glass can handle. Then add about half a glass of crushed ice. To that, add

• 1 1/2 ounces Reyka Vodka
• 2 1/2 ounces watermelon juice
• 1/2 ounce Creme de Violette

Then fill up the rest of the way with crushed ice and add about five to ten dashes of Angostura bitters, and garnish with another mint sprig.

Easy breezy, and it goes down easy, too. My kind of recipe.