The Summer Hoedown Is Officially Your Drink Of The Season

It's hard to find two things that say "summer lovin'" better than watermelons and this guy:

If for some reason you can't eat a whole, basketball-sized watermelon in a single sitting, we present to you a way to drink your watermelon with beer in a delicious cocktail, courtesy of Chowhound.

It's called the Summer Hoedown, a beer cocktail named after its chief ingredient, Hoegaarden beer (but you can use any white ale).

But first, how to pick the best, juiciest watermelon at the market:

Bon Appetit recommends that you judge a watermelon by its appearance. The good watermelons usually have a consistent shape, rich colors, minimal scars, a milky yellow spot on the bottom where the melon rested on the dirt and is heavier than you think it should be.

Whether seeded or seedless is better, we'll leave that up to you.

Now, the drink:

To make Chowhound's Summer Hoedown, here's what you'll need:

• 1 (6-ounce) seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into large cubes



• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar



• 1/4 cup maraschino liqueur, such as Luxardo



• 4 (12-ounce) bottles of Hoegaarden or other white beer

Blend half the watermelon until liquified; pour through a strainer and into a punch bowl, using a rubber spatula to push the melon through the strainer, leaving only pulp behind. Discard pulp and repeat with remaining watermelon, resulting in about 6 cups of juice. Add sugar to juice and stir until dissolved. 

Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 1/2 hours.

When ready to serve, stir in beer and maraschino liqueur.

If your mouth whets for more watermelon drinks, check out our list below. Summer (and watermelon's peak season, which is May through September in the U.S.) will be over before you know it.

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