From: Dallas Morning News

Watermelon is a favorite cooling fruit for the summer and the food editors at Dallas Morning News have pulled together some great recipes for Watermelon Margaritas, Jack Ruby Cocktails, Watermelon-Strawberry Smoothies and Watermelon Sorbet.

While most people rely on the “thump” method when selecting a watermelon, the National Watermelon Promotion Board suggests there is a more reliable way to choose watermelons. Select a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free of bruises, cuts and dents. Turn the melon over. If the underside is yellow, and the rind has an overall healthy sheen, the watermelon is probably ripe. Select melons that are heavy for their size. Watermelons are 92% water, which obviously accounts for most of their weight. A good rule of thumb is to buy the melon size that will satisfy your needs, so you don’t waste any.

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By Anthony Tripodi of EndlessCoffeeBreak.com.

Sometimes called the espressotini, this drink is a perfect blend of caffeine and alcohol. If you’re looking for a buzz that picks you up while relaxing you at the same time, then it’s time that you asked your barista or your bartender for an espresso martini.

So what is an espresso martini? Well, that depends on who you ask. There are so many variations of this drink out there that there isn’t a generally accepted recipe. The only consistent ingredients are espresso and vodka and even then the espresso is sometimes substituted with coffee or even instant coffee crystals.

Try our recipe for a Perfect Espresso Martini.

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Gin is basically grain alcohol, mostly corn (75%) with some malted barley (15%) and other grains (10%) thrown in. It is then redistilled with or through juniper berries and botanicals such as coriander seed, cassia bark, orange peels, fennel seeds, anise, caraway, angelica root, inis root, licorice, lemon peel, almonds, cassia bark, cardomann seeds, cinnamon bark, bergamot and cocoa. It is this secondary process that imparts to each gin its particular taste. Most of the gin now produced is London dry, which is clean light, unsweet, and perfect for making for martinis. The Dutch still produce a sweeter, more robust version of their own called Hollands gin, which, while is unsuitable for mixing purposes is drunk neat and cold. Gin does not require aging.

Try these great gin cocktails for your July 4th parties - Classic Martini, Tom Collins, Gimlet, Salty Dog, and Long Island Tea.

The Gray Kangaroo^TM is a unique device - it is the world’s first and only personal liquor filter^TM. It filters inexpensive liquor and gives it qualities of more expensive liquor by removing the impurities which cause bad taste and hangovers.

The Gray Kangaroo^TM is a foot-long carbon filter that works like the elementary school science project where you attached a pair of bottles together with a plastic piece to create a “tornado”. The Gray Kangaroo replaces the plastic piece between the two bottles and contains a replaceable carbon filter. The filtering action removes unwanted organic particles left over from the distilling process which cause the off-taste, headaches and hangovers associated with inexpensive liquor. Originally invented in 2001, the latest version (GK4) works with all hard liquors and is particularly effective for vodka which can be repeatedly filtered up to four times for optimum taste and quality. One GK4 will filter up to 50 liters of liquor and costs $29.95 at Gray Kangaroo. A life time supply of carbon filter refills costs $19.95.

In 2006, Allison Evanow created Square One Organic Vodka at an Idaho distillery. Square One is an ultra-premium spirit with a real difference. Square One is one of very few modern vodkas made with rye, the original grain used in Russian and Polish vodkas. And not just any rye, but 100% certified organic dark North Dakota rye and pristine clear spring water. The rye gives Square One a sweet, smooth, slightly nutty flavor that belies the traditional definition of vodka as a flavorless spirit.

Square One was introduced as a niche product in April 2006 in New York and San Francisco. It is now available in almost all the United States as well as Ontario and B.C. in Canada, mostly as a result of consumer demand.