A freshly made Watermelon Mojito is like summer in a glass. While it’s definitely fruity, this cocktail still has all of the components of a classic mojito. Along with homemade watermelon juice, you will enjoy the flavors of fresh lime juice, simple syrup, mint, and rum.
There are so many perfect summer cocktails, like the Blue Hawaii and Pina Colada, that you should try!
Watermelon Mojito
There’s something about that relentless summer sun that makes me crave fruity, icy drinks, and I’ll admit it… Rum! Lucky for me, this easy Watermelon Mojito recipe checks all of those boxes. It’s the best cocktail to sip on when it’s unbearably hot outside!
The key to a truly delicious Watermelon Mojito is fresh watermelon juice, which is super easy to make! It’s the absolute best thing to use for a natural sweetness and real watermelon flavor. It’s refreshing, naturally slightly sweet, and no syrup has the authentic taste of the real deal.
What else goes into this Watermelon Mojito that makes it so good? All of the classic elements of a mojito, of course! There’s freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, silver rum, club soda, and of course plenty of fresh mint leaves. All of the flavors combine to create a flavor that’s refreshing and so smooth to sip on, all while having a fun fruity element to it too.
How to Make a Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Watermelon – You’ll need to cut the watermelon into cubes and make sure there’s no rind.
- Lime Juice – It’s best to use freshly squeezed lime juice! Lime juice from concentrate or a bottle tends to have an artificial tasting juice.
- Simple Syrup – You can add more or less simple syrup to control the level of sweetness in your mojito. Keep in mind that with the 3 oz. of watermelon juice, the mojito has a good amount of sweetness without being too sugary.
- Silver Rum – pick your favorite brand of rum.
- Club Soda – use seltzer or club soda.
- Mint Leaves – As it goes with any mojito recipe, use fresh mint leaves! Fresh mint leaves not only add great flavor, but plenty of enticing aroma as well.
Directions:
Make the watermelon juice.
Cut the watermelon into cubes and discard of the rind. You’ll need a little over 1 lb. of watermelon cubes.
Blend the cubes together until you have a completely smooth puree with no chunks.
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the puree.
There are two ways to make a Watermelon Mojito!
Method 1:
Add the mint leaves (without the stems), lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.
Muddle the mint leaves. Use just enough gentle pressure to bruise the leaves, not to turn them into a pulp.
Pour in the rum, watermelon juice, and ice. Shake vigorously for just a few seconds.
Add crushed ice to four highball glasses. Divide the mixture evenly between the glasses, leaving a little room for the club soda.
Add the club soda to each glass, gently stir, and serve.
Method 2:
Divide the mint leaves among your 4 glasses. Add 3/4 oz. lime juice and 3/4 oz. simple syrup to each glass.
Muddle the mint leaves gently in each glass.
Add 2 oz. of rum and 4 oz. of watermelon juice into each glass. Stir.
Add ice to each glass, top it off with club soda, and stir again. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much juice will I get from a watermelon?
It’s really quite easy to tell how much juice your watermelon will yield since watermelons are made with about 90% liquid, hence the name! The easiest way to tell is to weigh the watermelon chunks without the rind. If you need 16 oz. of watermelon juice, measure out slightly over a pound of watermelon cubes without the rind.
When I’m choosing the size of the watermelon to buy, I estimate that a 6-8 lb. watermelon will give me 5-7 cups of watermelon juice.
How to Store Watermelon Juice:
Once you make the watermelon juice, make sure to either use it right away, store it in the refrigerator, or even pop it in the freezer. Pour your fresh watermelon juice into a glass jar with a lid.
I highly recommend using jars that have plastic, glass, or coated lids, not just metal lids. When storing acidic food, acid tends to reacts with metal lids. These are the jars that I use at home (this is not an affiliate link): with coated lids and with hinged lids.
When storing watermelon juice in the refrigerator, make sure to store it in a container with an airtight lid. Properly stored, it should last 5 days and even up to a week. If you want to make more and store it for even longer, simply freeze the juice.
Pour watermelon juice into a freezer proof zip-top bag, get the air out, and close it tight. Label and freeze the juice for up to 4 months. You can always portion it into smaller batches and freeze them separately. That way, you can always take it out and thaw just enough for a couple of cocktails.
How can I tell if watermelon juice went bad?
You will know! For one, there will be a foul smell present once the juice is bad. When the juice first starts to go bad, you will notice the sour and almost fermenting taste of the juice. If you smell or taste something off, it most likely started to go bad. If you see any mold or discolorations, discard the juice.
Can I make Watermelon Mojito non-alcoholic?
Yes, absolutely! All you have to do is take out the rum. Don’t bother substituting the rum with water, because that will just dilute the flavor. Simply add an extra ounce of watermelon juice and extra ounce of club soda.
Watermelon Mojito
Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients
Watermelon Mojito for 4*:
- 1 lb watermelon cubes rind cut off
- 3 oz fresh lime juice
- 3 oz simple syrup
- 8 oz silver rum
- 8-10 oz club soda or seltzer
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Watermelon Juice:
- Cut watermelon into cubes and make sure to cut the rind off. (Weight out slightly over a pound of watermelon chunks.)
- Place watermelon chunks into the blender and puree until completely smooth, when no little chunks remain.
- Strain the watermelon puree through a fine mesh strainer. (Swirl the puree in the strainer with a spoon if it needs more help straining.)
- At this point, you can make the cocktails right away or store the watermelon juice in the refrigerator for later. **
Watermelon Mojito method 1:
- Take mint leaves off the stem and add them into the cocktail shaker. Squeeze lime juice into the shaker as well and add simple syrup.
- Use a muddler to gently press on mint leaves just a few times. (The point to to bruise and muddle the mint, not mash it into a pulp!)
- Pour in rum, watermelon juice, add a little ice, and shake it all together for a few seconds.
- Add crushed ice into four highball glasses, about half way full, and divide the mixture evenly among the glasses. (Remember to leave room for club soda.
- Add 2-3 oz of seltzer water to each glass, gently stir to combine and serve.
Method 2:
- Divide mint leaves among the 4 highball glasses. Add 3/4 oz. lime juice and 3/4 oz. simple syrup to each glass.
- Use a muddler to gently press on mint leaves just a few times. Repeat in each glass.
- Add 2 oz. of rum and 4 oz watermelon juice into each glass and stir.
- Add ice to each glass, top off with 2-3 oz of club soda and give each cocktail a gentle stir. Serve right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Peggy says
This is fabulous!