Who doesn’t LOVE the taste of watermelon, lime and mint on a hot summer day?
In fact, those three flavors are almost synonymous with summer, are they not? Here is a recipe that is a favorite of mine to mix up for hot summer days. It can be enjoyed as is, mixed with seltzer water to make a non alcoholic spritzer, or with a light Prosecco or rum to make a zippier version.
Ingredients to make 5 cups of Watermelon Cooler
- 4 cups watermelon puree ( approximately 1 medium watermelon)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (approximately 4-5 juicy limes)
- mint leaves, 1/3 cup loosely packed
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- boozy option: Light Rum or Prosecco
The first step is to make the simple syrup. I like to make a batch of this every couple of weeks to keep in the refrigerator for it is super simple and is a great addition to many summer drink recipes.
To make:
Heat 1/2 cup of sugar in 1/2 cup of water. Mix until sugar is dissolved but do not let come to a boil. Cool before using. You will only be using a couple of teaspoons of this so refrigerate what is left for another recipe.
While the simple syrup is cooling. Cut up the watermelon into pieces and put into a blender or food processor.
Pulse until the pieces of watermelon have been pureed. This does not take long. You can strain the pulp from it but we like it left as is.
Juice fresh limes to make 1/4 of lime juice. Here I doubled the recipe and used a half of a cup. In a pinch, feel free to use bottled fresh lime juice.
After you have squeezed the juice out of the limes, chop the mint fine.
You can then add the 2 tsps of sugar to the finely chopped mint leaves in a small bowl.
With a pestle, crush the mint leaves and the sugar together to create a paste.
Add the mint sugar paste to the lime juice and then pour that mixture into the watermelon puree.
Mix together with a wooden spoon and serve in a glass pitcher.
Pour into a pretty Mexican blue rimmed glass filled with ice, pop in a sprig of mint and a straw for decoration (for honestly the pulp gets stuck in it) and there you have it! If you want to add in the seltzer water or alcohol, than fill the glass with ice and only half of the watermelon cooler and add your additional ingredients.
We will be serving samples tomorrow at our Summer Wednesday Barn Opening from 10-4. Come take a sip!
Hope to see you tomorrow
~Meg
