Watermelon Storm: Of the umpteen reasons to anticipate summer, fresh watermelon doesn’t get enough love. E+O, a sleek restaurant nestled in the Randhurst Village mall in Mount Prospect, ingeniously decided to use the sublime juices found in nature’s candy as the principal flavor in one of its house cocktails. Behold the $11 Watermelon Storm, a blend of watermelon juice, Bacardi 8 rum, orgeat syrup and lime juice, topped off with a few splashes of Barritts ginger beer. Fizzy and authentically sweet, it’s best sipped while soaking up sun on the restaurant’s outdoor patio. The vibrant, melon-colored cocktail, while pulp- and seed-free, is garnished with mint and two ripe chunks of watermelon. Even the most sweltering summer afternoons are no match for this thirst quencher. 125 Randhurst Village Dr., Mount Prospect, 847-398-3636
— Jessica Reynolds
