A Noble Pursuit....

I really wanted to know what this legendary cocktail consisted of - my mouth felt parched throughout that entire quest. The sandy desert, the heat rising off the ground and distorting images, the giant melting block of ice, those inconvenient Lizalfos... I was really looking forward to pulling up that bar stool and virtually enjoying those soothing and quenching pixels. Imagine my disappointment at the outcome! "The Perfect Drink"?! WHAT Perfect Drink?! Link may be too young to drink, but I'm bloody well not!

It was called the best drink ever. Worth pursuing in reality, I thought to myself.

I knew a few things about it - it had to be full of ice, blue in colour*, and probably contain hydromelons. I already knew what I'd use as a Cool Safflina garnish. *Did I simply imagine this, or did I catch a glimpse of one being served to Pokki?! That quest was so long ago I've simply forgotten!

And now it's time for some honesty - I've been trying to perfect this drink for months. MONTHS! I have had so many Ignoble Pursuits result that I nearly gave up entirely. I'm not even sure that I am totally comfortable calling this one a "Noble Pursuit" - is it worthy of the name?

The fail reel of Ignoble Pursuits that came before:

They looked good, but tasted bad. I think most of the trouble is the Bols Blue - it tastes a lot like orange-flavoured cough syrup. But I was determined to use it.

I did come up with one that's potable. But I don't want to call it THE Noble Pursuit. So I've hedged:

A Noble Pursuit: The Green Lizalfo

What you'll need:

• Hydromelon: I really love the Piel de Sapo melon, which Wikipedia tells me is the "Santa Claus" or "Christmas" melon in English. I personally hate when a recipe lists an ingredient that I can't find, so of course I'll offer up several alternatives. But this really is a delicious melon, and it was new to us (telling me that they're probably easier to find in Europe than North America, but who knows!), and it's worth seeking out or growing yourself, if possible. If you can't find the Piel de Sapo, you can substitute a Honeydew or any mild-tasting melon with lightly coloured flesh. A Yellow Watermelon would also do. Finding a melon with yellow or greenish-hued flesh is the key to getting the colour balance right. A Cantaloupe, for example, could produce a very scary colour, and I suspect the flavour would be rather strong for this cocktail. It's going to be blenderized, so cut it in half, scoop out and discard the seeds and then scoop the flesh into the blender.
  

  

  The Piel de Sapo "Santa Claus" melon - highly recommended!

•  Desert fruit: Prickly Pears are very difficult to work with (tiny, invisible, irritating spines!), and they tint the otherwise pretty blue to a turquoise, but I think they add an important desert-invoking flavour. Try to avoid using the neon-pink ones, unless you want to risk a really strangely coloured drink... Completely optional of course, and you'll have a bluer drink without them. Handle with care!
  
• Sourness: Furosa's a little bit on the tart side, isn't she?! ;) You're going to need 1-2 lemons to juice. Otherwise, this drink is too sweet!
  
  
  
• Ice. Add it by the cube straight from the Icehouse, or toss in some crushed ice at the end.
• Blueness: Blue Curaçao or Bols Blue (both citrus-flavoured) or another strongly coloured blue liqueur.
  
  
  
• Fizz: Sprite or 7-Up
• Garnish: Borage flowers would look gorgeous floating on the top of the drink! If you have spikes of blue normal Salvia spp. Sage flowers, of course that would also make a lovely garnish, as would Lavender (pictured). Yellow and orange Calendula (pot marigold) petals would make for an interesting colour contrast. If for some tragic reason you have no access to any flowering plants, you could do a twist of cucumber or lemon at a pinch.
• Blender and nice glasses (chill in fridge or freezer first!) and an optional straw.

Method:

1. Cut the melon in half, and in half again (quarter) and scoop out the unwanted seeds with a spoon. Then scoop the flesh of a 1/4 melon directly into the blender. 
   
2. Very carefully handle those prickly pears! Choose one that won't colour your drink too strongly!
   
3. Juice those lemons and pour that in.
4. Secure lid on top and blend. Blend until it's really homogeneous and smooth!
   
5. STRAIN this to filter out all the foam and pits and chunks.
   
6. Add blue dye/blue booze (I added this out of sequence in the pics). I didn't actually measure how much I put in... :) About 1.5-2 shots per serving? You can add more blue dye or blue booze to get the colour right.
7. Pour into your glasses (pre-chilled glasses for bonus points!) until the glass is about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
8. Top up with Sprite, stir briefly with a swizzle stick (or clean chopstick, or a spoon) to make sure it is well-mixed in the glass, and add your ice, garnish and straw, if using.
9. Revive Pokki and enjoy responsibly!

I hope you enjoy this! Constructive and useful comments? I love to hear them! If you've found a way to improve this, please share it! After all, Furosa made Pokki "the best drink ever", and that implies that she also made some that were just okay. Experimentation - the route to perfection!

Win or Fail - it has been a truly Noble Pursuit.