From Garden to Glass: The Deserted Island

Cantaloupe + coconut milk = great cocktails AND great popsicles

When I was growing up, my dad grew all of our family's vegetables. In the summer, we snacked as we picked, before we even washed the dirt off:  Sweet carrots. Spicy radishes. Snappy green beans. Bright red cherry tomatoes that we tossed up in the air and caught in our mouths and somehow managed not to choke to death. My mother would load a wagon with club-sized zucchini and send my brother and I door-to-door to attempt to give them away. When my dad would walk into the house with an armful of fresh-picked produce, he'd always announce to no one in particular, "Bounty of the garden!"

So much to eat, so little time. By mid-September all the bounty will be petering away and all we'll have left is apples and concord grapes and beets. Until then, we're turning as much as possible into cocktails at Felicia's. We haven't come up with anything for the zucchini yet, but here's a few other locavore cocktails that made it onto our menu this week:

Twilight Mary: green coriander-infused vodka, tomato juice, and lavender lemonade with a salt rim.
Plum Manhattan: plum-infused brandy, violet liqueur, cognac, and a dash of Angostura bitters. 
Peach Sour: bourbon, fresh peach syrup, and a splash of housemade sour.

And one with a recipe:

The Deserted Island (almost known as 'Sex in a Hammock,' but the bartenders shot that idea down)

3 ounces pureed cantaloupe (rind removed)
1.5 ounces coconut milk
1.5 ounces rum
pinch salt

Fill a double rocks glass with ice. Add all ingredients. Toss in to shaker and back again to mix. Garnish with a lime wedge.

It appears the right one is significantly bigger than the left. Not an uncommon occurrence.