Boozy Watermelon Lemonade

A refreshing cocktail perfect for summer & adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Watermelon Lemonade recipe. This cocktail has made it to the beach, a pool party, family gathering and as of Sunday, a Marlins game. Let me forewarn you though, the booze in this will sneak up on you as evidenced by the fact that I lost my apartment keys, had the MLB logo spray painted across my stomach (so classy), conned my way into the Clevelander to avoid a $10 cover and proceeded to eat half of a full-sized bag of potato chips. My roommate's experiences weren't nearly as fortunate.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a medium seedless watermelon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar or sugar substitute (the Splenda for baking dissolves the easiest & without heating) 
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups (or about 8 shots) Vodka (I used the Absolut Miami vodka that has passion fruit and orange blossom flavors; adjust the amount of vodka to your taste)
• 1 bottle cheap champagne such as Andre, or a rose works nicely

Directions

1. Cut the watermelon into cubes, removing the rind. Place cubes in blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Strain watermelon through a colander to remove any seeds.
3. In a small, microwave safe bowl combine sugar and water and stir well. In the microwave, heat the mixture on high 1 minute. Remove and stir well to completely dissolve the sugar. (If you are using the Splenda for baking, you can skip the microwaving step and just stir to dissolve).
4. In a large pitcher, combine watermelon puree, lemon juice, sugar mixture (simple syrup) and vodka. Stir well. 
5. Pour in the bottle of champagne and stir gently.
6. Serve over ice (or better yet stick it in the freezer)