It's summer, and the absolute most important number one thing to do during summer is to enjoy refreshing drinks outside with friends! 

Make your next outdoor party a million times more fun with extra-special super-fancy tiki drinks that are served inside an actual melon!! Then fire up your Insta because trust us, you're gonna want to share these babies with the world. 

And if you really want to blow your guests' minds? Set up a DIY station and let everyone carve and decorate their own melon drinks. Best party ever, guaranteed.

Let's get started! 

Make The Melon Cup

The thing that puts this drink 100% over the top is that it's served inside an actual melon! It's too fun! You can make a drinking vessel out of lots of fruits -- we used a really cute yellow melon we found at a market, but mini watermelons and pineapples work great too. Just look for a medium-sized fruit with a firm enough exterior that it will retain its shape and hold liquid after being hollowed out. 

To make the cup, use a small knife to cut a circle shape from the top of the melon, and remove the top. Scoop out the seeds, then use a spoon to remove part of the flesh. The goal is to remove enough to clear out some space, but leave enough so that the walls of the melon are still thick enough to remain strong and hold your drink. Finally, if needed, slice off a bit from the bottom of the melon so that it will be flat and not tip over once full. 

Cut The Lime Flowers

Sure, you could just slice a lime wedge -- but you can also take your tiki up a notch with a lime flower!! Simply slice grooves lengthwise into a lime, then cut the lime into crosswise slices. Voila -- lime flowers!

Cut the Fruit Garnish

Colorful fruits really make this kind of drink look amazing, so choose the most brightly colored fruits you can find. We went with dragon fruit and pineapple. Yum.

Mix The Drink & Pour

Now it's time to fill your gorgeous melon cup! Honestly you can use any cocktail you want, but we went with Melon Mojitos. Here's our recipe: 

Brooklyn Craft Company Melon Mojito Recipe

• Flesh scooped from one melon (about 1/2 cup)
• 8-10 mint leaves
• 1/2 lime, cut into small wedges
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) white rum
• 2 splashes grenadine
• Club soda

Place the melon, mint, lime and sugar into a glass and muddle until the sugar is dissolved and the melon is smooshed. Add the rum and grenadine and stir to combine. Top off with club soda. 

To serve, fill the scooped-out melon with ice, then pour mixed drink over the ice. 

Presentation

Once your melon is filled, all that's left to do is garnish! Layer your sliced fruit and arrange it on the edge of the melon, securing it with toothpicks. You can also add some greenery here, like mint leaves or even leaves plucked from the top of a pineapple (which look super tropical and cute). 

Add a drink umbrella (obviously), and a tropical silk flower. (Word to the wise, many live flowers are not suitable for food contact, so we like fake blooms for this project!) Add a straw, and get to drinkin'! 

Cheers! If you make this project, we wanna see pics! Tag us @brooklyncraftcompany and #brooklyncraftcompany.