Fruit Cocktail with Rum Simple Syrup

Did any of you grow up eating fruit cocktail from the little tiny can? My mom served it all the time, and I don’t know if I’m remembering it right, but I think our whole family shared the one little can. Not because we couldn’t afford more, but because fruit was way down the totem pole of food priorities, dwarfed by meat and potatoes. I remember the fruit was cut up in perfect little cubes, all in faded pastel shades. There were pale green grapes— I think they were peeled —and a lone pink cherry. We used to fight over that cherry. This idea came to me when I noticed that, amazingly, they’re still selling the stuff! This is my homage to that little can of fruit. Instead of insipid chunks of mushy pear and pathetic little skinned grapes, how about mango, papaya, berries, and melons. How about drenching them in a rum-enhanced simple syrup? They do call it a fruit cocktail, after all. This is an ideal use for leftover fruit. Cut it all in uniform small dice, and use a good variety of color and texture. It has the same appeal as a chopped salad—it takes a little prep but the result is worth it. I used watermelon, honeydew melon, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, papaya, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, and cocktail cherries for garnish.