GATHER JOURNAL

Photograph by Johnny Miller Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Theo Vamvounakis
    
DIRTY DANCING (1987)

“Curiously Strong” Watermelon Balls

Desserts from Issue 3 – Spring / Summer 2013 – Rough Cut

In the annals of teen films, Dirty Dancing ranks high. After all, it was the summer love story of many a teen dream: You begrudgingly go on vacation with your family and get swept up in an affair with a hunky older guy your parents would find totally inappropriate. Swoon. Since when Baby utters “I carried a watermelon”, anyone who once felt just as desperately uncool—basically, anyone who remembers being a teenager—related, we made the quintessential summer fruit the star of our “curiously strong” (those are Altoids® in the syrup) balls.

serves 4



  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 peppermint Altoids®
  • 10 juniper berries, crushed
  • ¼ cup gin
  • about 25 watermelon balls

  • 1

    Bring water, sugar, Altoids®, and juniper berries to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar and mints. Cook until reduced to about ¾ cup then strain. Chill syrup then stir in gin and pour over watermelon balls before serving.