Drunken Watermelon

I'm not sure if this is "tiki" per se, but we can certainly make it so.

I plan to make a drunken watermelon this weekend, and I want to use a good tasting rum, but not one so complex that it gets lost in the melon.

For anyone who doesn't know, a drunken watermelon is one that has a whole cut into it and is coaxed to absorb a bottle of liquor poured into its interior.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for making these things, because the last time I tried, I failed horribly. I used a funnel and the liquid I used never absorbed. This time I will try to jam the liquor bottle upside down into the melon and use its own pressure to force the liquid in there. But I've also heard that one should try to drain the melon a bit first. Does anyone have any tips?

Also, what kind of rum should I use? I'm feeling that any rum darker than a very light gold is gonna be too much.

Wray & Nephew White Overproof is great for soaking fruit, but it has a kind of kerosene character about it.

Whatever you do, though, you should use an overproof. In college we used to use grain alcohol, which is pretty nasty, but it does penetrate fruit better than anything else. It should at 190°. Rum tastes ever so much better.

151s penetrate better than W&N WOP, which is only 125.6°, but does the trick quite well. It helps to have in advance an appreciation for its kerosene overtones.

It will take a long time. Punch a bottle with the cap on down into the watermelon. Remove the bottle, clear any obstructions, and replace it with the cap off. Do this 2 days before the party. It needs that long.

I actually use gin. Complements the watermelon quite nicely.

I saw one done by cuting a cone shaped hole into the mellon and pouring in Bacardi 151. The booze was absorbed in about an hour. Watch how much you add or the fruit will absorb so much it will split.