Cut the melon in half and remove the green skin and the white rind. Cut the watermelon into big chunks and remove the seeds.

Place the watermelon in a big bowl and, using a hand blender, puree until smooth (you can use a blender, but you’ll have to blend in batches).

Remove the skin and the pits from the avocados, then add the flesh to the watermelon mixture and blend until smooth. Put the sugar, water and bay leaves in a small saucepan on simmer.

Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves.

Add the prickly-pear sauce (recipe here), the bay-leaf simple syrup and the salt to the watermelon mixture. Blend the olive oil in slowly—1 tablespoon at a time. Let the mixture age overnight, then add the vodka and blend the mixture for about 1 minute.

If using an ice cream maker, churn the sorbet according to directions. If not, place the sorbet in 2 or 3 loaf pans. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on the sorbet, then put the loaf pans in the freezer to harden overnight.

Place the sorbet on the counter for about 5 minutes before serving. Sorbet defrosts more quickly than ice cream so it should be ready to scoop in about 5 minutes. Top the sorbet with leftover prickly-pear sauce, and/or organic lemon zest to bring out the natural sweetness of the watermelon.