Nothing screams summer like fresh watermelon. The taste, the smell, and the color combination between bright red and green all together can simply make a watermelon “the popular signature snack of our summertime”. So it is only logical that the ultimate refreshing drink would be a watermelon vodka cocktail, isn’t it? This cocktail has everything you would need to freshen up yourself when the weather gets hot, and here is how you can make one at home.
The list of ingredients could not be any simpler:
- 4 cups of chilled watermelon
- 150 ml. of coconut water (about 5 oz.)
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons of agave syrup (or you can substitute it with simple syrup as well)
- 120 ml of vodka (the Absolute Citron vodka would be ideal)
- A spring of fresh mint or rosemary
How to make a watermelon vodka cocktail:
First, Cut up the watermelon into small chunks, ideally about a square inch size using a long knife. You should try to get rid of the seeds but it will not matter much since it is all going to be blended anyway.
Then you will want to squeeze the juice of 1 lemon. This is when the lemon squeezer comes in handy. We highly recommend the latter since it only cost about a few bucks at the kitchen store, and it really makes squeezing lemon so much easier especially if you make this drink for a party and need to squeeze like 10 more lemons!
Next, let’s talk about syrup. As you can see in the list of ingredients above, we will need some agave syrup. The agave syrup is going to sweeten your cocktail. Now a lot of cocktail recipes will call for simple syrup. Which is just hot water with dissolved sugar in it. But in the summertime when the weather is hot, the last thing you want to do is boil up a big pot of water and wait for the sugar to dissolve. So the agave syrup helps us to avoid having to do all that. The simpler is the better, right?
Now it is time to put everything into the blender and blend it up until smooth and that you can no longer see the watermelon seeds. This should take less than a minute.
Then, to that, you are going to add 120 ml of vodka. And actually, you could do more. You could go to 200 ml if you would like, but the point here is just to create a refreshing cocktail that takes the edge off just a little. You don’t want to take it too far or else you will ruin the flavor.
Lastly, pour the cocktail mixture into a nice cocktail glass filled with ice then you are going to garnish it with a spring of fresh mint or rosemary for more aroma and flavor. And now your watermelon vodka cocktail is ready to serve!
And here are some tips to send this cocktail over the moon!
Do not go for the cheap vodka, you might think every vodka pretty much tastes the same. The truth is the better quality of the vodka there is, the better flavor your cocktail is going to have. So choose a decent one for your own satisfaction.
Pick the perfect watermelon. Since it is the most crucial ingredient in this cocktail recipe, it is worth taking a little extra time to make sure you choose the right watermelon for the job. A good and juicy watermelon should be heavy enough and do not turn away from the brown-webbing one since that is actually a good thing.
Tip number 3, make sure your lemon is ripe. A good ripe lemon will give you more juice and also taste sweeter. And if you really want your watermelon cocktail to taste a little more lemony, you can also add some lemon zest as well.
More ideas on what else you can do with this amazing watermelon cocktail.
You can turn this cocktail into a kid’s friendly drink by just omitting the vodka. In fact, this will make a great mocktail drink that is perfect for a family-friendly summer party. This drink can just easily become a big hit at any summer party as it has everything a kid would love. The sweetness of the watermelon and coconut water is just so healthy and refreshing.
If you like your cocktail with some bubbles, know that this cocktail is delicious as a fizzy drink. All you will need is a bottle of sparkling water. Indeed, just blend everything like in the recipe above. But this time, you only put half the amount of coconut water to make room for the sparkling water. Then pour the cocktail mixture into a glass, about half full, and add some ice. And then whatever room that’s left in the glass, you are going to top it off with a little sparkling water. Garnish it with a little spring of mint and there you have it “The Fizzy Watermelon Vodka Cocktail”, now you’re ready for your next summer party!