Mixing drinks:

For our upcoming beach trip, I've been collecting mixed drink recipes. And then A pointed out the other day that maybe we should test these recipes first, you know, just in case they're terrible and we make them for our friends. So as a way to make the waiting bearable and bring a little excitement to our lives, we will be trying a new drink every Friday leading up to our trip. This past weekend was our first: the watermelon swash:

I'm so glad Andrew suggested the test-drive. Because this one was really terrible. It sounds really delicious, right? Do not be fooled. It's gross. I think you can make a few tweaks to improve it though: only 2 basil leaves, more watermelon, more ice, and don't drink it immediately. Let it sit in the freezer for a while until it's more of a slushy consistency. And really cold. Temperature is vital, I think.