Watermelon Daiquiri on the Rocks

September 15, 2020

It’s time for summer’s last hurrah. I’ve been seeing some leaves just start to change color, the breezy evenings are perfect for walks, and we’re only days away from the equinox. It’s hard to let summer go. But with this sweet and fruity cocktail, you don’t have to quite yet. Soak up those last few moments with a watermelon daiquiri on the rocks.

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Watermelon is one of those quintessential fruits of the summer. It’s reminiscent of cookouts, checkered beach blankets on the grass, and the smell of sunscreen mixed with barbecue smoke.

In this cocktail recipe, fresh watermelon juice comes together with the traditional daiquiri ingredients: white rum and lime juice, to create a refreshing cocktail. Unlike other fruity daiquiris, this one is served on the rocks instead of frozen, which makes it perfect for the cooler late-summer weather.

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for these watermelon daiquiris at your grocery store. You can also order online using Amazon Pantry, or try Amazon Fresh for grocery delivery.

How to Make Watermelon Juice

Before you can start mixing this refreshing cocktail, you will need to make some watermelon juice. I have never looked for pre-made watermelon juice for sale in my grocery store, although it might exist. However, you may also be able to get pre-cut melon from the produce department to save you some of the work.

There are two different ways to easily make watermelon juice. You can either use a masticating juicer to do the hard work for you. Or you can use a blender to make a puree, and then strain out the solids. I used the blender method here, but I have juiced watermelon before in my juicer, and it works really well. Just be sure you are following the instructions from the manufacturer.

To make the watermelon juice in a blender, add the melon chunk, and then pulse or blend on high until everything is broken down into a smooth puree. Then, pour the puree through a mesh strainer, into a large measuring cup.

You can do this in batches, so don’t overfill your strainer. Pour it only about half full, and then use a silicone spatula to press the juice through the strainer, leaving the solids behind. Move the pulp around until it stops dripping through the strainer, and then discard the pulp.

I found that four cups of watermelon chunks yielded about two cups of juice. However, this may depend on the size of the melon pieces, and how juicy your watermelon is.

Let’s Make a Watermelon Daiquiri

Now that you have your juice ready to go, it’s time to start making the cocktail! You will have some extra juice, which you can either drink on its own, water down into a spritzer with some club soda and lime, or use to make the next round of daiquiris!

Making this cocktail is super easy. But the bold color of the watermelon juice and the delicious bonus of a melon wedge on the rim make it look extra impressive. Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit, about an inch long, right in the point of the watermelon slice.

Use a double old fashioned or glass to serve these. However, if you don’t have any on hand, a highball or any clear glass will look great. I wouldn’t serve these in colored glassware, since the bright pink is part of what makes it so fun. Fill the glass about halfway with ice, and add the watermelon wedge on the rim.

Grab your cocktail shaker and mix these up to serve, one at a time. Fill it about halfway with ice. Then, add the watermelon juice, white rum, lime juice, and a pinch of salt into the shaker. The salt may sound counter-intuitive, but it helps bring out some of the sweetness of the melon.

Shake the ingredients vigorously, for about twenty seconds. When it’s ready, the metal shaker will be very cold, almost too cold to handle. The shaking motion helps to dilute the drink slightly, and it will combine everything together evenly.

Strain the freshly mixed cocktail into the prepared glass, and serve immediately. Watermelon juice can separate fairly quickly, so if you are making a few of these at once, you may want to give each one a quick stir just before serving them all.

Empty the used ice from the shaker and add fresh ice to make more than one. Luckily, this is fairly quick and easy, so there’s no problem mixing up a few for a late-season brunch or picnic dinner.

A watermelon daiquiri on the rocks is sweet and refreshing, the perfect drink for late-summer!

What is a Daiquiri?

Like many of you, my first introduction to a daiquiri was the frozen, smoothie-like strawberry variety. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that the original daiquiri wasn’t frozen and didn’t contain any strawberry at all. Instead, it was made of white rum, lime juice, and sugar served over cracked ice, and was similar to the grog sailor’s drank to prevent scurvy.

Around World War II in the US, rum started to become more popular, due to rationing of vodka and whiskey. And trade policies of the time made it fashionable to enjoy rum, and other exports of Latin American countries. It’s a delicious and refreshing tropical drink, which became my go-to on our honeymoon in Jamaica, due to the excellent selection of rum!

How to Serve a Watermelon Daiquiri

You can enjoy a daiquiri any time of the year, but the fresh watermelon juice really makes this one special. It’s best served as part of an outdoor gathering, maybe with some fun finger food and appetizers. Try vegan carrot “bacon” wrapped water chestnuts for a crowd.

You can also serve this sweet drink with brunch or dessert, paired with other fruity summer dishes, like a strawberry rhubarb crumble, fresh cherry cobbler, or peach and caramel corn crisp. For something less fruity, try it alongside classic fresh buttermilk pancakes.

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

  • Eat any extra watermelon, cut into chunks, and sprinkled with a bit of sea salt.
  • White rum is the base for some fantastic cocktails, like a raspberry lemon mojito.
  • Use up lime juice in another fun twist on a classic, with spicy pineapple margaritas.

For some other fresh and fruity cocktails, try a sweet and spicy paloma, bourbon mint lemonade, or cucumber basil gin cocktail.

Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Watermelon Daquiri on the Rocks

A watermelon daiquiri brings together fresh watermelon juice, white rum, and lime juice. Serve on the rocks, perfect for late-summer.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 Cocktail
Calories: 201kcal

Ingredients

Watermelon Juice

  • 4 Cups Watermelon cut into chunks

Watermelon Daquiri

  • 6 oz Watermelon Juice
  • 2 oz Rum
  • ½ oz Lime Juice about half of a lime
  • pinch Salt

Instructions

  • To make the watermelon juice, you can either use a masticating juicer, or a blender and strainer combination. 4 cups of watermelon will give you about 2 cups of juice.
    - Juicer: Follow the manufacturer's instructions to feed the fruit through the juicer, collecting the juice, and discarding the pulp.
    - Blender: Add the watermelon chunks to a blender, and pulse on high until it is pureed. Pour the puree through a mesh strainer, and use a silicone spatula to gently press on the pulp to release the juice. Discard the pulp.
  • To make the daiquiri, combine rum, watermelon juice, lime juice, and salt in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for twenty seconds, until the shaker is very cold. Strain over fresh ice into a glass garnished with a watermelon wedge.
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17 thoughts on “Watermelon Daiquiri on the Rocks

  1. Oooh! I haven’t had a daiquiri in a minute and this watermelon one looks delicious and refreshing! I will have to try this recipe out at home in the near future. Thank you for sharing!

    1. You can definitely make a non-alcoholic version, although it won’t taste exactly the same. Replace the rum with an equal amount of lime flavored soda water or white grape juice, and it will still be super refreshing and delicious.

  2. I find myself saving nearly every single blog post of yours that I read. Your recipes always pique my interest and sound right up my alley. I’ve tried a few of them, and now I’m adding this delicious cocktail to my “must try” list! It sounds refreshing and bright, and perfect for the end of summer (though my mind is totally 100% in autumn mode). I love watermelon, so this would be a great treat!

  3. Thank you for teaching me what a daquiri is! I love anything with fresh watermelon. We’ve done watermelon margaritas a few times this summer, and in the past I had an amazing watermelon mojito. This definitely sounds like something I want to try!

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