Brazilian Watermelon and Lime Cooler with Fresh Basil over Crushed Ice

Make a basil syrup first: combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Pull it off the heat, drop in half the basil leaves, and let it steep for 15 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon, well chilled
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, divided
• 6 ounces cachaca (or white rum)
• 4 cups crushed ice
• 1 lime, cut into thin wheels
• Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Make a basil syrup first: combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Pull it off the heat, drop in half the basil leaves, and let it steep for 15 minutes.
2. Strain the syrup, pressing lightly on the leaves, and chill it completely. Pressing too hard extracts bitterness, so be gentle.
3. Blend the chilled watermelon in batches until completely liquid, then pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Do not press the pulp through — you want a clear, bright juice, not a thick puree.
4. Stir the lime juice, cooled basil syrup and pinch of salt into the watermelon juice. The salt sounds odd but it sharpens the fruit noticeably; taste before and after and you will see.
5. Add the cachaca and stir well. Chill the whole pitcher for at least 30 minutes if you have time — the drink is best served genuinely cold rather than merely iced.
6. Fill four tall glasses to the brim with crushed ice and press a few of the remaining basil leaves against the inside of each glass as you go.
7. Pour the cooler over the ice, letting it settle, then top up each glass.
8. Garnish with a basil sprig and a lime wheel and serve immediately with a straw, before the ice has a chance to dilute the fruit.
9. Cachaca, distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane rather than molasses, is Brazil's national spirit and carries a grassy, vegetal edge that most rums lack — which is precisely why it works so well against basil rather than fighting it. Watermelon reaches its peak sweetness in late summer, and Brazilian street vendors have long sold it juiced and salted from carts along the coast. If you would rather skip the spirit entirely, leave it out and add a splash of sparkling water; the drink loses nothing but the alcohol.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 218 kcal
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 28g
• Sodium: 45mg