The only thing better than lemonade on a hot day is watermelon! This watermelon mint lemonade is sweet, tart, and has the spicy bite of mint. Add some rum and you’ll have a refreshing, summer cocktail. Skip the rum and you’ll have a festive drink for the whole family to enjoy.
Hello, all!
I’m excited to share my recipe for watermelon mint lemonade with all of you!
I’ve been making it several years now and it is always a hit. I don’t even remember where I got the idea! Just a photo on the internet somewhere and before I knew it I snagged a few lemons and a watermelon, and then whipped up a batch. Since it was indeed an awesome idea it’s become a summer time staple around here!
A couple of years ago, I decided to add mint to the syrup and now it’s even better than my earlier batches. Yum! š
Sometimes I can’t wait and buy a seedless watermelon from the supermarket, and even with those watermelons, it’s still darn tasty. However, if you want the best watermelon lemonade? Buy seeded watermelons. Heirloom, seeded watermelons are amazing!
And they come in different colors! Orange, yellow, deep reds, even white.
This is something I didn’t know until a few years ago, but I love it. Like carrots and tomatoes and other produce, only a few varieties are made in quantity. There are all these variations other there to try and enjoy. Stripy tomatoes, deep red carrots, and orange watermelons.
That’s part of why I love going to the farmer’s market and visiting farm stands!
So, I make this once the weather gets hot with the watermelons I can find, and enjoy every glass. And then, when the local watermelons are out? I make jugs of it! It’s so great having some fresh lemonade in the fridge on a hot day.
Don’t feel like dealing with the seeds?
That’s what kids are for. š I squeeze the lemons and measure out the ingredients while my daughter takes out the seeds.
Also – fun tip – watermelon freezes well.
Cube it up, take out the seeds, and pop it in the freezer. The frozen watermelon will be perfect for any drink, lemonade, or smoothie you wish to make.
I know that I post cocktails regularly, and of course you can totally turn this into a one too. š No worries.
I like to make the lemonade suitable for all day sipping and kids to enjoy, but a nice shot of rum into my glass in the evening makes this lemonade even better for the adults in the family to kick back and relax with a nice drink after work.
If you try my recipe for Watermelon Mint Lemonade, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy drinking, Annemarie
Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
Mint Syrup
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
Lemonade
- 6 tbsp lemon juice, about 3 lemons
- 4 cups chopped watermelon
- 2-3 cups ice
Instructions
- To make the mint syrup, combine the mint, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve and let it cool to room temperature.
- Make the lemonade. Add the lemon juice into a 2 cup measure. Add the mint syrup and enough water to reach the 2 cup mark. Then pour the lemonade into a pitcher.
- Put the chopped watermelon into the blender and blend until smooth. Strain the watermelon in the fine mesh sieve into the pitcher with the lemonade. Add the ice and stir to combine.
- Drink the watermelon mint lemonade as is, or add rum for a spiked lemonade. Alternatively, add 1 1/2 oz of rum to each glass of lemonade you wish to spike.
Notes
- Watermelon: I prefer using seeded watermelons to seedless. You will need to scoop out as many of the mature seeds as possible to make blending easier, but the flavor is much more intense. And, yes, strain 'seedless' watermelons. They still have seeds; they are just immature seeds.
- Large Batch: Recipe is easily doubled or tripled for parties.
- Spiked Lemonade: Add 6 oz of rum to the recipe to make an adult version of the drink.
jacquee says
Great photos! This is one of my fave drinks during the summer months – so refreshing!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! Us too – we make it by the jugful all summer long.
Julie says
I love blueberry lemonade – I’ve never thought about watermelon lemonade before ,though! Made some with the huge watermelon that was sitting in our fridge… awesome.
justalittlebitofbacon says
And I’ve never made blueberry lemonade (though I know I would love it)! I’m glad you enjoyed the watermelon version. š
Erica Cardinal says
I am so excited that I have all the ingredients to make this. And, I was just wondering how I was going to use up all that watermelon before it turned. How fortunate that I found this recipe. š
justalittlebitofbacon says
There you go! It’s a great way to use lots of watermelon.
Manju | Cooking Curries says
Hi AnneMarie, I loved your recipe and have included it in a lemonade round up on BuzzFeed. Do take a look and show some love š https://www.buzzfeed.com/manjumahadevan/21-incredibly-refreshing-lemonades-you-need-to-dri-1ykl9
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you so much! I’ll go over and give it some love. š
Dahn says
I was thinking it was a great combination when you added the mint but then ….I saw the rum, Oh boy that sounds good,
justalittlebitofbacon says
It’s lovely at lunchtime with the kid-friendly version, but especially good in the evening with that shot of rum. š
Sarah says
Hold the phone- did you say heirloom watermelons!?!? Why have I never heard, seen, or tasted one of these!?!? Omg I feel so deprived now haha. I eat SO MUCH watermelon that it’s a little ridiculous. I’ve never even managed to save enough to make drinks out of it lol. Now I must hunt down these specialty watermelons ahhh
justalittlebitofbacon says
Oh, you need to find some! A new organic farm started up in town a few years ago and now I wait impatiently every summer for their heirloom watermelons. (Though any old-fashioned seeded variety is going to make a great lemonade.)