With the holiday weekend coming up, it only felt appropriate to share a really delicious, refreshing cocktail with you! This Watermelon Cucumber Cooler is super fun, summery and hydrating. It’s the simplest of ingredients, too – just watermelon, cucumber, fresh mint leaves, rum and sparkling water. The perfect thing to enjoy on a hot summer’s night and could even be a mocktail if that’s more your thing!
Lately I’ve been feeling pretty uninspired to cook. When it’s hot out and the house is hot, turning on the oven is the last thing I’m interested in doing. So instead, most nights I just stand at the kitchen island and eat raw fruits and vegetables for dinner. Super exciting. Maybe I should share a vegan charcuterie board?! Would you guys be interested in that? That really would be representative of my current mood..
These hotter nights, however, have made me realize how much I love fall and winter and all the warm casseroles and soups and stews that go along with the colder months. I’ve never been more ready for rain and thick, chunky sweaters. I think I need to move somewhere with cooler weather year round…the mountains are calling me!
Until colder weather hits, I will be staying cool by drinking these watermelon cucumber coolers! They really are super refreshing and if you freeze the watermelon ahead of time, they’re super icy cold. Truly nothing better in the middle of summer!
how to pick a good watermelon every time
This drink is super simple and there’s really not a lot for me to tell you in terms of how to prepare it. It’s pretty straight forward as far as recipes go.
I will say, though, that picking a good watermelon will make a big difference. I did not add any sweetener to this cooler because the watermelon I used was very sweet and juicy.
Now, to pick a good watermelon every time, there are a couple of things to know. For starters, you want it to feel a lot heavier than it looks. If you are a little shocked over how heavy it feels when you pick it up, you’ll know you’re on the right track. Second, you want it to have a good, dark sunspot on it. If the sunspot is really light or white, skip it. Look for one with a dark yellow or dark orange sunspot. The darker the better! That’s a sign it is SWEET and spent a long time bathing in the sun! Lastly give it a good tap on the underside. If it sounds hollow, it’s GOOD. If you didn’t really hear much of anything it’s either not going to be sweet, or be grainy!
making your drink
Like I’ve said before, this cocktail is super simple. All you need to do is blend the watermelon and cucumber together in a blender (I recommend freezing the watermelon ahead of time if possible to make it extra cold and icy), muddle the fresh mint and rum together, strain the mint infused rum into your drinking glasses and top with the watermelon cucumber juice and sparkling water.
That’s it! Easy!
And of course, if you’re just wanting a summer mocktail, leave out the rum! You can also take the extra step and strain the watermelon and cucumber mixture to make it super smooth but either way is very good.
I hope you guys give this one a try! Nothing screams summer more than a Watermelon cocktail.
Don’t forget you can pin this one for later or leave me a comment down below if you like this recipe!
Also, if you’re looking for more summer cocktails, check these out!
Happy weekend!
Watermelon Cucumber Cooler
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon
- 1 cup cucumber peeled
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 4 ounces rum can substitute vodka or simply omit
- Sparkling water to top
Instructions
- To a blender, add the cucumber and watermelon.Blend until smooth and strain, if preferred.
- To a cocktail shaker or glass, add the fresh mint and rum. Muddle the mint in the rum until fragrant.
- Strain the mint infused rum into the watermelon cucumber juice. Mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture evenly between two drinking glasses over ice.
- Top with sparkling water.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Using frozen watermelon will make this drink extra cold and icy!
- If your watermelon is not super sweet, consider adding some simple syrup or grenadine. But be sure to see my tips for picking a good watermelon in the post above!
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