Watermelon Margaritas. Now there’s a couple of words I may be repeating a lot this summer! It’s been getting to 90F degrees every day, which is unusually hot for our June, and the forecast is the same for the next week.
Gorgeous watermelon margaritas
So out of, ummm, necessity, I made these refreshing, totally awesome watermelon margaritas.
Watermelon margaritas: easy on the eyes and even better to drink
This recipe takes a little preparation, but the effort and patience is well worth it. If you start on the prep early enough in the day, you can enjoy watermelon margaritas later in the afternoon!
Cut up watermelon for freezing and then blending
You’re going to start by cutting up your watermelon into chunks, to freeze. Pictured here is my large 18X26 cookie sheet that I lined with wax paper. I recommend that you cut up the watermelon smaller than shown here–my rather wimpie blender would have managed smaller frozen pieces easier than the bigger chunks shown here. Set the cookie sheet or tray with the watermelon in the freezer uncovered for three or four hours, until frozen. This is more watermelon than the recipe calls for, but that’s okay….just place the leftover frozen pieces in a freezer bag for later use.
Meanwhile, make the sugar syrup. Simple sugar syrup is just one part sugar to one part water. I used two cups each of water and sugar.
Have your sugar syrup already made and cooled before using
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring when it starts to boil, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely. Simple sugar syrup will keep, covered, in the fridge for a couple of weeks…this can be quite handy for making cocktails that call for sugar syrup!
Lime juice: a must for watermelon margaritas
Next, you want to juice your limes. Limes really vary in size and juiciness; for this watermelon margarita recipe, you’ll want 1/3 to 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice. I can’t emphasize enough how important the lime juice is. The tartness of the lime juice really brings out and plays with the sweetness of the watermelon so nicely. I originally started with 1/4 cup of lime juice for this recipe, but my guests and I both agreed that 1/3 to 1/2 cup of lime juice in this recipe is even better. And by the way, you might want to go ahead and buy extra limes…I promise you’ll want them for more watermelon margaritas sooner than later.
Salt on the glass rim is perfect for watermelon margaritas
After your watermelon pieces have frozen and your sugar syrup is cooled, place some glasses in the freezer. Blend up about 2 cups of watermelon, 1 cup of syrup, 3/4 cup tequila, and 1/3 to 1/2 cup of lime juice. Forget using the orange liqueur—you don’t need it and I think it actually detracts. And don’t use ice, because it dilutes the drink, and your frozen watermelon will make it cold enough. Blend until the watermelon pieces are dissolved. That’s it! Pull your glass out of the freezer, dip the rim in one saucer with lime juice, and then another saucer with some kosher salt. Here’s the printable recipe:
- About 3 cups of watermelon pieces, frozen
- 1 cup simple sugar syrup, cooled completely
- ¾ cup tequila
- ⅓ to ½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed, plus extra for glass rims
- coarse salt for glass rims
- Place glasses in freezer.
- Blend watermelon pieces, simple syrup, tequila and lime juice until watermelon pieces are dissolved.
- Set up two saucers, one with a little lime juice in it and another with some coarse salt it it. Pull glasses out of freezer, and dip each glass rim in the saucer with lime juice, and then in the saucer with the salt.
- Pour mixture from blender into glasses and enjoy.
For the hot days of summer, a Watermelon Margarita works every time
I served these Watermelon Margaritas with chips and hot sauce. A perfect way to end a hot summer’s day. Enjoy!
–G
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