If you're looking for a naturally sweet cocktail to help you cool down, consider the frozen watermelon margarita your star cocktail. Frozen drinks are a must during the hot summers, and because of the watermelon's natural sweetness, it tastes even more refreshing knowing there's not a lot of excess sugar. Hosting an at-home happy hour or outdoor barbeque has never been sweeter, especially with a tasty pitcher to go around.
How to Make a Frozen Watermelon Margarita
Try giving yellow watermelon varieties a try for this recipe. The Yellow Crimson and Yellow Doll varieties make for sweeter smoothies and cocktails. Consider layering your cocktail with a mix of yellow and pink watermelons. Multiply the recipe to make a pitcher's worth.
Ingredients
- 1 lime wedge
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 cup seedless watermelon cubes, frozen
- ¾ ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounces orange liqueur
- 1½ ounces blanco tequila
- ½ cup crushed ice
- Watermelon wedge, lime wheel, and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of a margarita glass. Dip it in the salt to rim the glass.
- In a blender, combine the frozen watermelon cubes, lime juice, orange liqueur, tequila, and ice. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared margarita glass.
- Garnish with the lime wedge, a watermelon wedge, lime wheel, and mint sprig.
Keep frozen watermelon cubes in the fridge so you're ready whenever the cravings kick in. Fortunately, it's easy to freeze watermelon chunks; simply rind a seedless watermelon and cut it into about ½-inch cubes. Freeze the cubes in perfectly portioned 1-cup servings in zipper bags.
Variations and Substitutions
The watermelon margarita is delicious by itself, but you can also add additional ingredients and make simple substitutions to take it to the next level.
- Omit the ice and instead use an additional ½ cup of frozen watermelon for a more intense watermelon flavor.
- Add ½ cup of frozen mixed berries for a berry watermelon margarita.
- Add 2-3 jalapeño slices for a spicy margarita.
- Add ½ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger root to make a ginger-watermelon margarita.
- For an especially refreshing margarita, add 3-4 basil leaves. Change the mint garnish to a basil sprig.
- Pump up citrus flavors by adding ½ teaspoon of finely grated lime zest.
Read: Refreshing Watermelon Drinks With Nonalcoholic Ingredients
Garnishes
This drink is already garnished to the hilt with a salt rim, a lime wheel, a watermelon wedge, and a mint sprig. Here are some other garnish suggestions:
- Rim the glass with a mixture of equal parts sugar, salt, and tajin for a sweet-tart-spicy addition to your drink.
- Create a mixture of equal parts sugar, salt, and finely grated lime zest to rim the glass and pump up the lime flavor.
- Omit the rim altogether and instead opt for a simple watermelon wedge garnish.
- Garnish with either pickled ginger or crystallized ginger.
- Garnish with a vodka-infused watermelon ball.
A Drink to Make You Lose Your Rind
The combination of watermelon and lime is a classic summer flavor, so why wouldn't you add some tequila and triple sec and whir it up in a bender? It makes for a mighty refreshing sipper to sample as you watch the sunset.
