Summer cocktail recipe: Watermelon chili pepper margarita

Fresh as a summer day, hot as the sun.

This week's cocktail is a nifty play on the sweet 'n' spicy dynamic, with the freshest watermelon pureed and strained to extract its essence. Thai chili pepper gives this drink a swift kick. Add more or less chili peppers to your taste.

Watermelon chili pepper margarita

Fresh watermelon juice (see recipe below)
1 Thai chili pepper
1 1/2 oz. tequila
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. Cointreau
lime wedge
salt

Muddle Thai chili and tequila in a drink shaker. Add watermelon juice, lime juice, and Cointreau. Shake with ice. If you want a salted rim, rub lime around edge of a cocktail glass, dip in salt. Fill glass with ice. Strain cocktail into your glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Note: If you have extra time, make a batch of chili pepper-infused tequila by filling a mason jar with tequila and adding desired amount of chilies according to taste. Infuse 1-3 days.

Make a big batch of watermelon juice and call it a party.

Watermelon juice

Puree 1 cup of seedless watermelon per cocktail in a food processor or blender, or use a hand blender. Strain puree through a cheesecloth-lined sieve or a very fine strainer.