Watermelon Margarita

The Watermelon Margarita is giving peak girl dinner, backyard BBQ, and salty-sweet perfection. It’s tart, juicy, and just a little salty in the best way possible.

Watermelon and lime are already a dream team, but adding sea salt into the shaker brings out the juicy sweetness and rounds out the tequila and citrus beautifully. The Cointreau keeps it classic and clean, while a little agave syrup (or basil syrup!) ties it all together.

I’m giving tons of variations for this one, including a base recipe for two (below), a batched version, a frozen version, and a spicy version. It’s watermelon season and we’re making margaritas!

No matter which version you choose, this beast blender will get the job done! I’m obsessed with mine.

Salted Watermelon & Mint Drink Fountain

Get your drink fountain here!

This is the kind of cocktail that was made for summer hosting. Fresh watermelon, mint, a little smoky mezcal, and plenty of tequila come together in a big batch margarita that’s refreshing, lightly salty, and practically made for pouring from a drink fountain. MAJOR TIP: Strain the watermelon mint mixture so everything flows smoothly, otherwise it will get stuck in your drink fountain.

This recipe can also be doubled to fit the MAX fill line of the fountain; just double the recipe below!

Serves about 16-20

Ingredients

For the Salted Watermelon Mint Mix

• ½ small watermelon, cubed (makes about 3 cups after straining)
• 5-6 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt

For the Margarita Fountain

• 3 cups Salted Watermelon Mint Mix
• 2 cups tequila blanco
• 1 cup mezcal
• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• ¾ cup orange liqueur
• ¾ cup agave syrup (or mint simple syrup for extra mint flavor)
• 3-4 cups ice

For Serving

• Flaky sea salt, for the rim
• Ice
• Watermelon slices
• Fresh mint sprigs

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Watermelon Mint Mix

Add the watermelon cubes to a blender and blend until completely smooth.

Add the mint leaves and a large pinch of sea salt. Blend for about 15 seconds, just until the mint is incorporated. Avoid over-blending, as it can darken the mint and change the bright pink color.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher. Don’t skip this step or small pieces of mint can clog the drink fountain.

Step 2: Assemble the Fountain

Add the strained watermelon mint mixture, tequila, mezcal, lime juice, orange liqueur, agave syrup (or mint syrup), and ice directly to your drink fountain. Stir well until chilled and evenly combined.

Step 3: Serve

Rim glasses with flaky sea salt and fill with fresh ice. Pour the margarita from the fountain and garnish with a watermelon slice and a fresh mint sprig.

Watermelon Margarita Pitcher

Batching up a pitcher of watermelon margaritas is honestly the best way to spend a sunny day. This scaled up version makes about 8-10 drinks. You’ll need:

• 4 cups fresh watermelon juice (just blend watermelon and strain. 1 small watermelon yields about 4 cups)
• 2 cups tequila, Blanco or reposado
• 1.5 cups lime juice
• 1.5 cups orange liqueur
• 1 cup agave syrup

Add everything to a large pitcher. Stir to mix everything together and refrigerate to chill. When serving, rim glasses with salt, add ice, and pour!

Try these Batched Watermelon Basil Margaritas!

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

When watermelon’s aren’t in season, you can find cubed, frozen watermelon chunks in the freezer section at the grocery store. But when watermelons are in season, chop that bad boy up into chunks, place in a freezer bag and freeze for your future watermelon margaritas.

For a single Frozen Watermelon Margarita, add 1 cup frozen watermelon chunks + 2 oz tequila + 3/4 oz Cointreau + 3/4 oz lime juice + 1/2 oz agave + pinch of sea salt + pinch of fresh lime zest + 1 cup ice (for added slush) to a blender and blend until smooth.

Spicy Watermelon Margarita

When you blend up your fresh or frozen watermelon, add a few slices of jalapeños! Add as much or as little as you want based on your desired spice level. Try this Spicy Watermelon Margarita and watch me mix it!

Grilled Watermelon Margarita

If you happen to be making Watermelon Margaritas for a backyard BBQ, you might as well throw some watermelon on the grill before blending or muddling for your margaritas. It gives it a nice smoky twist that could be amplified by swapping the tequila for mezcal.

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Pair It With

• Watermelon feta salad with mint, cucumber, and red onion
• Grilled shrimp skewers or any summery protein
• Tortilla chips + chili lime salt for that salty crunch

This drink + salad combo is truly the elevated girl dinner of the summer.