Cool down this summer with this refreshing Watermelon Cocktail or mocktail. It will please crowds because it goes down really nicely!
Summer is here, and Christmas is only 6 days away!
You know, I’ve been moaning over the rainy weather since spring and how it’s crawled into our summer. Imagine the challenge of keeping an energetic two-year-old indoors. Kai and I drove each other insane and did each other’s head in.
Then, out of nowhere, the sun made a glorious appearance, and she was HOT HOT! Just in time for this weekend. Instead of being greeted with dark grey clouds, we had blue skies and the temperature was soaring. It was humid and sweaty this Sydney weekend.
After complaining about the weather, you would expect me to rush outdoors on Saturday, but nope, I stayed home. My husband, Tomasi, took Kai out and gave me some much needed ‘me’ time. After an exhausting week dealing with a moody toddler, all drained out and feeling lazy from the heat, I just want to sleep in. Even wiggling my toes was too much to ask.
This Sunday morning, Tomasi cheerfully woke me up with Kai at 7 am. He plonked my coffee mug next to me and said, ‘Mummy, it’s such a beautiful day. Let’s spend some family time together.’ I wanted to reach for the nearest object and hurl it at him, but I sat up and smiled at Kai. ‘Good morning honey, come give mummy a big hug!’
Long story short, our household went to the beach today. I dragged a groggy sister, Nara, out of bed so she could join us. Going to the beach is hard work, but more of that later because I’m here to share this refreshing Watermelon cocktail and mocktail this Christmas.
This watermelon cocktail or punch will cool you down in the blistering summer heat. It’s one of those drinks that’s so easy to drink that you’ll end up having 2 or 3 glasses without thinking about it. The next thing you know, you’re feeling buzzed out. You make obnoxious jokes and laugh loudly at them. Hold on, that sounds like me!
To beat the summer heat, all you need is fresh watermelon, vodka, orange liqueur, raspberry soda, lime, mint and lots of ice. If you want to avoid cringe-worthy jokes, maybe make the mocktail version!
A day at the beach is hard work!
Tomasi, Kai and I are also water signs, so we naturally love the water. Before Kai was born, hubby and I often spent all the day at the beach, eating, drinking, sun baking and swimming. So things have changed a little since Kai arrived. I never thought a day at the beach could be so exhausting.
It took Tomasi 15 minutes to catch Kai, so we could squeeze him in his wetsuit. It then took us 30 minutes to load everything into the car. With the temperatures soaring over 30 degrees, inevitably, car parking spaces would be scarce. I dumped hubby, toddler, and our bags at the car park by the beach and drove away to find parking with Nara. With a little luck on our side, a 4 wheel drive pulled out.
Nara and I went to buy some lunch before meeting hubby at the agreed spot. After melting from the sun, we reached the meeting spot on the beach, but there was hubby or Kai. I pulled my phone out and dialled Tomasi. ‘We not in the same spot, keep walking to the left for a bit and you’ll see us.’ Nara and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Carrying heavy bags with the sun burning into our backs, we continued looking for them.
Tomasi and Kai sitting by the shore and Kai was kicking his tiny legs excitedly in the water. I laid the towels on and made a sandwich, which proved to be difficult. We had gritty sand as part of our filling.
Kai ran over to greet us and I noticed he still had his nappy on. Man, trying to remove his nappy, whilst he forcefully tried to get away from us, was a mega task. Then he struggled some more when I tried to apply sunscreen on him.
Exhausted, I wanted to lie down on the sand but choose not to as I would end up burnt, so I sat up and watched my son. His dad was splashing water playfully at his chest. The sound of his squeal and fits of giggle was music to my ears.
Kai would run over to me and stare at me seriously for a few seconds without saying a word. Then he would turn around and run full speed back to the water with his dad laughing. He did this several times and never got tired. No matter how exhausted, overheated, and grumpy I was, seeing Kai happy was all worth it.
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Ingredients for Watermelon Cocktail
Watermelon – The seedless watermelon I used weighed 2kgs (4.4lb) without its skin. I chopped the watermelon roughly and juiced it in the blender in three batches. To delay the cocktail from splitting, I pushed the watermelon mixture through a sieve to remove the solids.
Orange liqueur – I used Grand Marnier which comprises 51% cognac and 49% orange liqueur. You could also use Cointreau, Triple sec or any brand of orange liqueur. For mocktails, swap with fresh orange or grapefruit.
Vodka – For mocktails, swap with lemonade or soda water.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar. However, it’s not the same as confectionary, icing, or powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but take care not to over-blitz it so a powder consistency. Regular white sugar would also work in this recipe.
More easy and refreshing cocktails to try:
Hennessy Cocktails
Lychee Rose Cocktail
Strawberry Mojito
Refreshing Aperol Spritz
How to make Watermelon Cocktail
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place the watermelon, mint, sugar in the blender and blend it until it turns into juice. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches, depending on the size of your blender.
Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour the juice mixture over the strainer. Use a wooden spoon to help push through all the juice and discard the solids caught on the strainer. Remove any foam floating on the top with a large spoon or a strainer.
Pour in the vodka (or lemonade), orange liqueur (or orange juice) into the watermelon juice mixture and then pour in the lime juice and raspberry soda (or soda water). Serve the cocktail in a large punch bowl or jug and add in lots of ice. Garnish with thin slices of lime.
Leftovers – It’s best to serve and have the cocktail immediately. If you wish to make it in advance, don’t mix the ingredients until your guest arrives, as it may separate after a few hours.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Watermelon Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 kg peeled and chopped seedless watermelon (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup mint leaves (loosely packed)
- ¼ cup caster sugar (or 2 tbsp if you like it less sweet) (NOTE 2)
- 1 cup vodka (or lemonade, chilled) (NOTE 3)
- ½ cup orange liqueur (or orange juice, chilled) (NOTE 4)
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3 cups raspberry flavoured soda (or soda water, chilled)
- 1 lime (thinly sliced into wheels, to serve)
- ice cubes to serve
Instructions
- Place the watermelon, mint, sugar in the blender and blend it until it turns into juice. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches, depending on the size of your blender.
- Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour the juice mixture over the strainer. Use a wooden spoon to help push through all the juice and discard the solids caught on the strainer. Remove any foam floating on the top with a large spoon or a strainer.
- Pour in the vodka (or lemonade), orange liqueur (or orange juice) into the watermelon juice mixture and then pour in the lime juice and raspberry soda (or soda water). Serve the cocktail in a large punch bowl or jug and add in lots of ice. Garnish with thin slices of lime.
