CÎROC Summer Watermelon

Travel Distilled reviews the CÎROC Summer Watermelon Vodka Limited Edition.

CÎROC Summer Watermelon is a Limited Edition watermelon-infused and flavored vodka, available only while stocks last over the summer.

My first impression of this Summer Watermelon Vodka from CÎROC wasn’t favorable, but it wasn’t the fault of CÎROC. It’s obviously meant as a refreshing summer drink for a warm evening, and probably best enjoyed with a mixer.

Now, a warm summer evening in southern Arizona, where I live, is probably warmer than the distillers had in mind. We’d been having a heatwave too, with temperatures well over 100F (38C) several days in a row. It’s the time of year (this was late May) when you turn on the cold faucet and warm water comes out. Even inside the house it was 80F (27C) as we both hate chilly air-conditioning. And the Summer Watermelon Vodka had been sitting in this for a few days.

I carried a shot of the vodka along with a vodka and tonic out onto our rather warm porch, then went back inside for a few minutes, as a result of which the vodka warmed up nicely and the ice cubes in the V&T totally melted. It was that warm.

CÎROC Summer Watermelon Vodka should not be drunk warm, I immediately discovered. It smelled not like a lovely fresh slice of watermelon but like… well, ‘ripe’ is the polite way of putting it. I took a sip and regretted it right away. It tasted like it smelled: ripe.

All it needed, though, was to be chilled. I took the shot glass inside and popped a small ice cube in it, and a few minutes later the taste was transformed. It was now what you would hope it would be. It both smelled and tasted like that fresh slice of watermelon – light, fruity, tropical, a little bit sweet like strawberries, and as delightful as that first taste had been disappointing. This was more like it, as I’d previously enjoyed a lovely and refreshing CÎROC Mango Vodka.

CIROC Summer Watermelon Flavored Vodka Spritz cocktail — Summer Watermelon Spritz Vodka Cocktail

Mixing It

Putting a few more ice cubes in my vodka and tonic, I then discovered that tonic wasn’t the best mixer for this watermelon vodka. The bitterness of the tonic and the fruity sweetness of the vodka just didn’t blend as well as I’d assumed they would. I did finish it, of course – I don’t believe in waste – but on another occasion I was more sensible and followed CÎROC’s suggested serve. This is with soda water to create a very tasty Summer Watermelon Spritz, the look transformed by garnishing the drink with a slice of watermelon, a slice of lime, and a sprig of mint. That was definitely summer in a glass.

About CÎROC Vodka

CÎROC vodkas are made in France, and the company was founded by Jean-Sebastien Robicquet. Robicquet’s family were from near Bordeaux, which isn’t far from Cognac, and though his family had been in the wine business since the 17th century, he wound up spending ten years working at the Hennessy cognac distillery.

What Robicquet learned at Hennessy he put to good use when he founded CÎROC. The aim was to produce a vodka made not from grain but from grapes. CÎROC uses just two grapes, one of them being the Ugni Blanc grape from around Cognac, which is the main grape used in making cognac as it doesn’t make very good wine. The other grape used in CÎROC is the Mauzac Blanc from the Tarn region in southern France. Again, it’s not a grape widely used in wine-making but is ideal for distilling into spirits.

CÎROC arrived in the USA in 2003 but it was only in 2007 when P. Diddy became its Brand Ambassador that it took off big-time. As well as their straight vodka, which has various expressions, their flavored range includes French Vanilla, Mango, Apple, Pineapple, Red Berry, Coconut, Peach, and an intriguing-sounding Amaretto.

Limited Edition

This CÎROC Summer Watermelon was released last year, too, but only for the summer. It must have been popular as it’s been brought back, and in a Limited Edition. This means that although it’s available widely, in liquor stores and online, once it’s gone, that’s it. Till next year, maybe.