end-of-summer bash: drunken watermelon on tap

I know what you're thinking: "What if I attached a faucet to a watermelon and filled it with spiked watermelon juice so party guests could serve themselves right from the melon?" Well, my husband finally turned that dream into a reality.

After testing three different types of faucets and spending the entire afternoon of our housewarming party creating his masterpiece — only to have it clog just hours before guests arrived, resulting in a mad dash to Home Depot and the supermarket so he could do it all over again — he's now perfected the model so all you have to do is build it. Want to impress guests with a DIY watermelon keg of your own?

Read on to find out how...

What you'll need:
•   10-pound seedless watermelon
•    Sharp knife
•    Big spoon
•    Big bowl
•    Drill with a 1/2-inch drill bit
•    3/4-inch ball-valve faucet with a handle that's easy to turn with one hand
•    PVC-to-faucet adapter that will screw into the back of the faucet
•    Rubber O-ring that fits the back of the faucet
•    Blender
•    Sieve
•    Pitcher
•    1 1/2 cups rum
•    4 limes
•    About 90 minutes of your time

1. If your watermelon is wobbly when standing on one end, use a knife to trim off the stem end of your watermelon rind just enough that the melon sits flat. Then decide which side of your melon looks best — that'll be your front. Cut the top jack-o'-lantern style, big enough to fit your hand through, but center the cut more toward the back of the melon so you can't see the seam from the front.

2. Use a big spoon to scoop out the fruit into a large bowl. Eat some of the watermelon as you're scooping it out to make sure it doesn't poison your guests. Pour any juice in the bottom of the melon into your pitcher.

3. Drill a hole a few inches from the bottom of the melon for your faucet. Then use a knife to slightly widen the hole till it's just a little smaller than the diameter of the back of the faucet.

4. Gently screw the faucet into the hole, putting your other hand inside the melon for leverage. Don't jam it in or you'll bruise the outside of the rind and compromise your seal. Inside the melon, carve away a little more fruit from around the back of the faucet (don't go through the rind) to make room for screwing on the adapter.

5. Slide the O-ring onto the back of the faucet, then screw on the adapter. To test for leaks, fill the melon halfway with water, then turn on the faucet. Once you've confirmed that your watermelon is indeed operational, pour out the water through the top.

6. Reserve some watermelon to eat tomorrow for breakfast, then throw the rest into a blender and puree. Use the back of a spoon to push the puree through a sieve placed over your pitcher so you're left with just juice. Discard any solids. You should have about 6 cups of juice. Mix the juice with 1 1/2 cups of rum and 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice (about four limes' worth).

7. Pour the mixture back into the watermelon. Put the top back on the melon and set it on the edge of a counter or table to serve.

Comments

this is very cool.....thanks for sharing.....i might get my sweet husband on this project for next year ! LOL

This is one of the best party ideas I have ever seen. Your husband's hard work and perseverence (Sp?) have paid off. :)
I can not wait to use this idea and share it with my mom, who will adore the idea. What fun! Thanks for sharing!!!

Awesome idea!! Thank you so much...we are having a Luau Party this weekend and this will be a perfect addition to it.

FANTASTIC! THANK YOU for posting this very valuable info and THANK YOU for being honest. LOVE the commentary!! Great read!! I can't wait for my hubby and his friends to make this:)

This is sweet... I love how you even stuck a real o'le faucet in there.

I smell project!

I love this! Perfect for that last bbq of the season. It also reminds me of another alcohol-melon concoction I’ve served in the past with much success – Cantaloupe and Tequila. I think I originally got the recipe from a Rozanne Gold cookbook (although it was so long ago, I could be totally wrong).

Basically, you make melon balls and mix them in a bowl with about a 1/2 a cup of top shelf tequila, 4 or 5 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt.

After you refrigerate them for a half an hour, dip the rims of 4 glasses into the tequila and then in sugar (the way you do with margarita glasses and salt) and then add the marinated melon balls. I usually put salt out with them when I serve.

The sweet and salty combo is what makes this a hit.

Wanted to post the costs for the drunken watermelon on tap project, since I would have had no idea how much, say, a faucet would run me before putting this together. The watermelon and limes cost me about $6 (and my melon was probably closer to 15 pounds) and the faucet, PVC adapter and O-ring were about $15. So assuming you already have a drill and a bottle of rum (or tequila or vodka--any of them will work), the whole shebang can be yours for just 20 bucks and change.

How awesome is this idea!!!! Martha Stewart would be put to shame...and envious!!! I'm going to try it out at my next bunco event!!! Thanks for sharing!

OMG!! That's awesome!! We're definitely gonna have to give it a "shot".

How do i get one of those for my up coming ski trip? :)

This is awesome! I did something similar one year and was equally as cool and a big party hit! Take a watermelon, cut a hole in one hollowing out just a bit on top for liquid to seep in. Dump a bottle of your favorite vodka in there (this takes some patience as the vodka needs to be added slowly to soak into the watermelon like a sponge). It'll work, it just takes some time.

Then come party time cut up the watermelon and eat the fruit. You get you daily fruit intake and a cocktail at the same time!

AWESOME! I can't wait to give this a try!

Could this be done with a pumpkin for a Halloween party? Seems like as long as you really got the inside clean, it would work!

DC--yeah, I'm sure it'd work great! Though you'd probably want to fill it with something other than spiked pumpkin juice. Maybe fill it with orange juice and vodka? Mulled cider? Have fun!

I cant wait to give this a try for our Poker Night! Thanks for the great idea and for sharing! And I love the watermelon idea! Keep the ideas coming!

Very cool! :)

I saw another bit of watermelon / alcohol fun on a UK cooking show once. You stick a funnel in the top of the watermelon and gradually fill it with alcohol over a few days (the flesh absorbs the alcohol):

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_14317,00.html

Excellent idea!!

I think putting it in the freezer after cleaning and testing the faucet is operational would be best, gotta keep the drinkypoos cool baby.

& perhaps also a lil ice in the top once done.

You can also use melons for halloween lanterns, which is great if no one likes pumpkin in your house!

Fantastic! Makes me wish it were summer.

The pumpkin idea sounds fun too but you'd want to make sure it was a drink that would be ok tasting a little pumpkin-y as I'm sure the flesh would leech a bit of the flavor into the drink unless you can find a way to seal it before putting the drink in.

This is GREAT! What a cool idea - I have lots of pool parties and bbqs each summer, I will have to try this for SURE! Thanks to you for posting and hubby for inventing!

This is how we ALL look like Martha Stewart's - it's only when these fantastic recipes see the light of day that we can all truly be inspired to actually try this sort of "miracle" party favour - cudos to you for sharing what is obviously a labour of love - Thanks - Cultus Lake, B.C.

That's creative, but its' expired on the next day. This always benefited to the people who having interest on their creativity, they do it & proof of their creativity ideas, is patent & what do you name it.
Its to be of your name & its forever.

I've been serving spiked grape juice this way for years, you amateur!

Good idea but is it necessary to use a drilling machine to make hole? if the drill bit is brand new and properly washed then its ok otherwise it may be harmful.

@Mike:
Why do you this about a very nice idea. Serving grape juice does not remind me thinking of a watermelon. Yes, Elizabeth and husband might be amateurs, but the wheel was invented more than once, too!
In the Bahamas I've been drinking from pineapples, but that's completely different!
I love this idea, and coming summer we plan to have some bbq's, so I hope to use the idea.