Cheetie Kumar's Watermelon Cocktail

Cheetie’s Watermelon Cucumber Cooler with Toasted Cumin-Black Pepper-Salt Rim 

I’ve found that chefs often make excellent cocktails because they understand the interplay of flavors, aromas, colors, and textures. That’s certainly the case with this creative, beautiful drink from Cheetie Kumar, the chef and co-owner of Ajja in Raleigh, North Carolina.  

You can omit the spirits when you’re in the mood for a killer mocktail. Or just make this amazing Watermelon Syrup to stir into sparkling water or iced tea. It’s the perfect way to use up the last of a dead-ripe melon. The quick syrup recipes yield more than one serving, so just stash them in the fridge where they’ll keep nicely for days.

Makes 1 drink 

Ingredients  

• 1 lime wedge 
• 3 makrut lime leaves, optional  
• Pinch kosher salt 
• Pinch freshly ground pepper  
• 2 ounces Watermelon Syrup, see recipe below 
• 1 ounce Cucumber Syrup, see recipe below 
• 1 3/4 ounces silver rum, gin, or vodka, optional 
• 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice  
• Soda water 
• Garnish with: mint sprig, cucumber slice, and/or makrut lime leaf 

Directions

Rub the rim of a rocks glass with a lime wedge. Dip the rim in a shallow bowl of the Cumin-Black Pepper Salt Rim mixture. Fill the glass with ice. Set aside.  

Place the lime leaves, salt, and pepper in a cocktail shaker and muddle. Fill the shaker with ice and add the Watermelon Syrup, Cucumber Syrup, alcohol of choice, and freshly squeezed lime juice. Cover and shake well. Strain into the prepared glass and add enough soda water to fill the glass. Garnish and serve immediately. 

©Copyright 2024 Cheetie Kumar

Watermelon Syrup 

Ingredients  

• 8 ounces seedless watermelon, coarsely chopped 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste   

Directions

Place the watermelon in a small food processor and puree. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids and pulp. Return the juice to the food processor, add the sugar, and process until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

©Copyright 2024 Cheetie Kumar

Cucumber Syrup

Ingredients  

• 1 small cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped 
• 2 teaspoons sugar 

Directions

Place the cucumber and sugar in a small food processor and puree until the sugar dissolves. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids and pulp. Refrigerate until ready to use.  

©Copyright 2024 Cheetie Kumar

Toasted Cumin-Black Pepper-Salt Rim

Ingredients  

• 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds 
• 3 black peppercorns 
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 

Directions

Place the cumin seeds and peppercorns in a small skillet and set over medium-high heat. Shake the pan until the cumin releases its aroma and begins to crackle. Transfer to a small bowl and cool completely. Transfer the mixture to a mortar and pestle and coarsely crush. Add the salt and toss to combine. Set aside until ready to use. 

©Copyright 2024 Cheetie Kumar

Cheetie Kumar is the chef/owner of Ajja, a restaurant that draws inspiration from the diverse foodways and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond. An India-and Bronx-raised Southerner and musician, Cheetie earned two James Beard Foundation Award nominations (and five semifinalist nods) for “Best Chef: Southeast” for her multicultural menus at the beloved Garland, which closed in 2022. Ajja, a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, builds on the legacy of Garland and continues telling the rich story of North Carolina’s growers, farmers and purveyors in a vibrant indoor-outdoor neighborhood restaurant. Cheetie has been profiled in the New York Times, Southern Living and the Wall Street Journal, among many other national publications. She is active in food advocacy and serves on the board of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the Southern Foodways Alliance and several North Carolina-based organizations. In fall 2023, Cheetie joined World Central Kitchen’s Chef Corps, a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.

Sheri Castle, award-winning food writer and cooking teacher, is known for melding culinary expertise, storytelling and humor, so she can tell a tale while making a memorable meal. Her creative, well-crafted recipes and practical advice inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She's written a tall stack of cookbooks and her work appears in dozens of magazines. In 2019, the Southern Foodways Alliance named Sheri among Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food, calling her The Storyteller.

Sheri says that she's fueled by great ingredients and the endless pursuit of intriguing stories, usually about the role that food plays in our lives, families, communities and culture.

When she steps away from the kitchen or a local farm, Sheri enjoys spending quiet time at her home near Chapel Hill. She hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.