From the roundup: 12 Easy Non Alcoholic Drink Recipes: Mocktails, Smoothies, and Lemonades
This virgin watermelon mojito is the drink I make when I need something that looks like I tried but actually took ten minutes. You blend real watermelon, press it through a strainer, muddle some mint into glasses, and pour. That is genuinely it. No simple syrup to cook, no fancy equipment beyond a blender and a fine mesh strainer.
The one thing worth knowing before you start: taste the watermelon juice after you strain it. A ripe melon will be plenty sweet on its own and you will not need the agave at all. I have added sweetener to a batch that did not need it and it tipped into cloying fast, so taste first and add later if necessary.
The juice base keeps in the fridge for up to two days, which makes this a genuinely useful drink for a party. Strain it the morning of, keep it cold, and pour individual glasses with sparkling water as people arrive so nothing goes flat sitting on a table.
Why you will love this
- Done in 10 minutes with zero cooking, just a blender and a strainer
- The watermelon juice base can be made up to 24 hours ahead so you are not stuck in the kitchen when guests arrive
- Ripe watermelon rarely needs any added sweetener, so it is naturally lower in sugar than most mocktails
- Works well for kids and adults at the same table since there is nothing to swap out for the non-drinkers
- Four servings come from just a quarter of a medium watermelon, so it stretches a long way
Tips for success
- Press the pulp firmly when straining. Use the back of a spoon and really work it against the mesh. Rushing this step cuts your juice yield noticeably and you will end up short on liquid.
- Muddle with pressure, not speed. Press and twist the mint 8 to 10 times until you can smell it clearly. If you shred the leaves into bits they turn bitter and float in the glass, which nobody wants.
- Add sparkling water last and stir only once or twice. The more you stir, the faster the bubbles die. Pour it in gently and give it one slow turn.
- Do not skip tasting the juice before sweetening. I have made this with a melon that looked perfect but tasted flat, and I have made it with one that needed nothing. You cannot know until you taste it, so do not add agave on autopilot.
Common questions
- Can I make this ahead for a crowd? Yes. Strain the watermelon juice and stir in the lime juice up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge and muddle mint into individual glasses right before serving.
- My watermelon is not very ripe. Will this still work? It will, but the flavor will be thin. Start with the agave or honey and taste as you go. Half a tablespoon is usually enough to bring a bland melon forward.
- Can I use a juicer instead of a blender? A juicer works and skips the straining step, but most home juicers leave more pulp than a blended-and-strained batch. Either way gets you there.
- How much juice does one batch make? About 2 cups of strained watermelon juice from 6 cups of chunks, which fills 4 tall glasses comfortably with ice.
Substitutions
Club soda or a plain lemon-lime soda can replace sparkling water if that is what you have. Keep in mind the soda adds sweetness, so skip the agave entirely if you go that route. Fresh basil is a reasonable swap for mint if your mint has seen better days, and lemon juice works in place of lime in a pinch, though the flavor shifts slightly.
For the sweetener, agave, honey, or a basic simple syrup all dissolve well into the cold juice. If you are avoiding any added sugar, just use a very ripe watermelon and skip the sweetener step completely. Most of the time it is not needed anyway.
Make-ahead and storage
Blend and strain the watermelon juice up to 24 hours ahead and keep it in a covered pitcher or sealed jar in the refrigerator. You can stir the lime juice into the base at this point too. When you are ready to serve, muddle fresh mint into each glass, pour the juice over ice, and top with sparkling water right before handing them off.
The strained juice base keeps for up to 2 days in the fridge. Give it a quick stir before pouring since it can settle a little. Do not mix the sparkling water into the full batch ahead of time or it will go flat. The assembled drink does not keep, so pour only what you need.
Virgin Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the watermelon chunks to your blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds until completely smooth and liquid.
- Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl or pitcher and pour the blended watermelon through it. Use the back of a spoon to press the pulp and get every drop of juice out, then discard the pulp. You should end up with about 2 cups of clear pink juice.
- Taste the watermelon juice now. If it is sweet and flavorful, you do not need any sweetener at all. If it tastes flat or bland, stir in the agave or honey until dissolved.
- Divide the mint leaves evenly among 4 tall glasses. Use a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon to press and twist the mint firmly about 8 to 10 times. You want to bruise the leaves and release their oils, not shred them into tiny pieces.
- Fill each glass with ice, then pour equal amounts of the watermelon juice and lime juice over the ice in each glass.
- Top each glass with about a half cup of sparkling water, stir gently just once or twice so you keep the bubbles, and garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a thin lime wheel if you like. Serve immediately.
Notes
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