I love ripe watermelon in the summertime. It is so refreshing and invigorating!
This watermelon basil margarita brings that refreshing watermelon taste into a simple and delicious cocktail. I like the added essential oils because it really rounds out the flavor of the herbs and juices.
The secret to making this cocktail great is having a really good watermelon. If you don’t know how to pick a good watermelon, I will try to help you the best I can! There are 4 things I look for in an amazing watermelon:
Weight: This means the watermelon is ripe, over-ripe or under-ripe watermelons are dull sounding.
Look: I always go for the darker watermelons but it is especially important to have that nice yellow underbelly. This shows how long the watermelon has been resting on the ground and shows how ripe it is.
Feel: A nice ripe watermelon should feel heavy for its size.
Webbing: Those web-like brown spots on the watermelon mean that the bees touched the pollinating parts of the flower many times. The more pollination, the sweeter the fruit.
Or go to a local farmers market and they can show you which melon is good and teach you how to pick them in the future. That is my favorite option. Local melons also tend to have better flavor because they are picked ripe rather than shipped green and ripening in a container.
You definitely want to puree the watermelon in the blender before you make these drinks. The first time I made them, I thought I could just muddle the melon with the limes and basil, but it ended up not producing enough juice and the melon was difficult to strain through. I used my cocktail strainer on top of a mason jar (it fit perfectly) to pour the juice out and consolidate it into a perfect stream.
While the limes sliced in rounds look much better for a garnish, I prefer to cut them in eights for muddling. I cut both ends off as well because I find it releases the juice a lot better. As you continue to make more cocktails you will learn, as I continue to, all sorts of handy tricks for mixing. This recipe is very forgiving with the ratios and can be adapted with mint or another complementary herb if you don’t have the basil.
Watermelon Basil Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 cup watermelon juice
- 1 medium lime, cut into eigths
- 4 basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- 2 ounces tequila
- 3 drops doTERRA lime essential oil
- 1 drop doTERRA basil essential oil
- Rim salt and extra lime juice, optional
Instructions
- I suggest salting the rims of the margarita glasses first so that this step is out of the way when you are ready to do your drinks. I find that placing the salt in a shallow dish or on a plate makes it easier to get the correct amount of salt rather than making it too salty. Dip the rim of the glass in the extra lime juice and then place into the salt. I like to give a quick quarter turn to get a nice even coating. After dipping in the salt I will give it a quick shake to knock off the excess salt and anything that is loose. Repeat with each of the glasses and set aside for filling with drinks.
- The watermelon juice is really easy to make; I usually make it ahead of time so that I don’t have to worry about having a blender out while making the margaritas (I do them shaken, not blended). Cube up or scoop out about 6 cups of watermelon meat, place it in the blender (high speed), and blend for 1-2 minutes or until it is puree. This will produce about 4 cups of juice which will be enough for four drinks. I strain it into a mason jar, the straining isn’t totally necessary, but I do it just to remove excess froth and check for any remaining large chunks.
- With the cups salted and the watermelon juiced you are ready to start mixing! Grab your tumbler and put the basil leaves and lime inside; muddle until the limes are juiced and the basil is broken up. Add the doTERRA lime and basil essential oils, tequila, agave nectar, and watermelon juice and shake well. Once everything is combined strain over ice into the salted margarita glass. Garnish with a watermelon slice and lime and enjoy! Happy mixing!
