Boozy Watermelon Lemonade
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
In 2009, my hubby and I went on holiday to Florida. While we were there, we had an amazing Mexican meal where they served complimentary jugs of watermelon lemonade with our food. I look back on that meal with fond memories as we were celebrating our engagement at the time and were not long out of college. We’d saved hard to go on a big trip and found this little Mexican restaurant tucked away in Orlando on a wet spring day and ended up taking refuge from the rain for a few hours as we ate our weight in chips and salsa. Now, 11 years later, we still talk about that meal and the fantastic watermelon drink, so I thought it was about time we took a trip down memory lane and tried to rustle up our own version of the refreshing tipple.
The great thing about this simple cocktail is that you can make it with vodka or turn it into a mocktail without alcohol; either way, it’s delicious! If you find the drink is a little too sweet for your liking, you can dilute it even further with another cup of soda water. This will take away some of the sweetness, though, for us, the recipe I’ve written below was just right, so try it first. You can also try swapping out the soda water for still or sparkling water, or lemonade.
Another variation you can try is to turn the drink into a frozen cocktail by blitzing the ingredients in a blender with lots of ice and replacing the soda water with still water. You can also try sweetening the cocktail with honey or agave nectar instead of sugar.
To garnish the drink, I used lemon thyme, but if you can’t find lemon thyme then mint will also work really well to cut through the sweet flavour. For an extra special touch, you can dip the rims of your glasses in sugar and serve with a wedge or two of fresh watermelon.
Once the drink is made, it will sit well for a few hours with regular stirring, so you could choose to serve it in a large punch bowl, making it an excellent option for parties.
Boozy Watermelon Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 6 heaped cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
- 2 lemons, juiced and strained
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 1 shot of vodka per cup (optional)
- 3 cups soda water
- Ice
- A few sprigs of lemon thyme
Method:
- Add the watermelon, lemon juice and sugar to a blender and pulse until puréed. Strain into a bowl.
- Stir in the vodka if using.
- Stir in the soda water.
- Serve with ice and a sprig of lemon thyme.