A sidewalk pleaser from the Big Apple

Eben Klemm whips up a better cocktail than he does a name. Witness "The V(ini).

It's the cocktail selected as the best among all served at New York City's 20,000+ sidewalks cafes (that covers Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island), as chosen by the Consumer Affairs Department in the city's first-ever Sidewalk Cafe Drink Contest.

Klemm is director of cocktail development at B.R. Guest Inc., which runs Vento Trattoria in Manhattan's Meatpacking District where the drink was unveiled.

Says Klemm, "A lot of places will make watermelon martinis all year round. I only make it when it's fresh."

"The V(ini)" got its V from Vento and its (ini) from martini. The recipe for the pink pleaser:

1 oz. citrus vodka
1 oz. limoncello
Juice of ½ lime
1 oz. fresh watermelon puree

Add all ingredients to shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.

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