| WHAT I ’ M DRINKING NOW |

KIRA COLLINGS IS BAR MANAGER OF HEARTH AND HILL IN PARK CITY , UT .

Traveling has always been a passion of mine . For my first solo adventure , at the age of 19 , I booked a one-way ticket to Thailand . I spent two months exploring the “ land of smiles ” and immersing myself in the country ’ s beautiful surroundings . I felt so welcomed by the people and was mesmerized by the culture and food .

After long , hot days of exploring , I would search for a street cart selling these unique smoothies made with fresh watermelon , pureed with ice , lime , cream and what always seemed like a secret ingredient that I could never figure out .

As I started brainstorming cocktails for our menu at Hearth and Hill , I wanted to bring a little bit of my travels and supply our guests with a uniquely refreshing drink . I built a house-made watermelon cordial with a Thai basil simple syrup and a lemongrass tincture . I decided on tequila as the spirit for crowd appeal .

That led me to drop the lemongrass and swap it for chipotle bitters to complement the tequila . Then to add a pop of color , I garnish it with Mexico ’ s national flower — dahlias — thus the Tijuana Handshake was born .

TIJUANA HANDSHAKE

1 ½ oz . El Jimador reposado tequila ½ oz . El Jimador silver tequila ½ oz . Fresh lime juice 2 oz . House-made watermelon cordial 5 dashes Chipotle bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake to chill . Strain over a large ice cube to minimize dilution . Garnish with a lime and a dahlia .

For Watermelon cordial : 1 medium-sized watermelon , 1 quart of Thai basil simple syrup , 3 bar spoons of citric acid , 1 oz . grenadine . Cut watermelon , puree it in a blender , then strain . Add basil syrup , citric acid and grenadine and stir .

6 | FALL 2022 • CHEERS @ HOME WWW . CHEERSONLINEATHOME . COM