Watermelon Margarita – A Lovely Mess

I am real excited to share this delicious cocktail recipe with you today—a twist on the classic margarita. A Watermelon Margarita balances sweetness from fresh watermelon juice with tartness from fresh lime juice and bold tequila flavor. The watermelon flavor really comes through in this recipe. Once you start making homemade margaritas, you will never go back!

Related: Homemade Margarita Mix, Paloma, Ranch Water, Mexican Candy Shot, Tequila Sunrise, Tequila Shot and 40 Fun Cocktails to Make at Home

Ingredients in a Watermelon Margarita

• Watermelon Juice – Learn to make fresh watermelon juice below.
• Tequila Blanco – Choose any silver tequila.
• Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed.

The best glassware to serve a spicy margarita in is a double old fashioned glass (or any short glass). The long necked margarita glasses are best for frozen margaritas and for on the rocks margaritas I love to use short glasses.

Watermelon Margarita Recipe

Begin by preparing your glassware with a salted rim (optional).

In a cocktail shaker with ice, pour in watermelon juice, tequila and fresh lime juice.

Shake for 10-15 seconds until well chilled.

Pour into your prepared glass with fresh ice cubes.

Garnish the glass with a small slice of watermelon and a slice of lime.

How to Make Watermelon Juice

Making watermelon juice is really simple! The taste is so fresh and juicy and you won’t believe how easy it is to make in less than five minutes.

First, fill your blender with watermelon chunks.

Blend until liquified.

Decant the watermelon juice into a serving container (such as a large jar or a pitcher). Optional: Strain the watermelon juice with a fine mesh strainer to remove most pulp and fiber or serve it as is.

Tips for Making

• Secret Ingredient – Fresh lime juice is the make or break, essential ingredient in this recipe. Do not use bottled lime juice.
• Salt Rim – To make a strong salt rim (as you see in my photos), I use a little honey on my finger to coat outside of the rim before dipping it in margarita salt. Water also works, but it produces a softer more subtle rim. You can also rim just half the glass if you want to have the option of sipping with salt and without it.
• Orange Liqueur – Most margarita recipes include an orange liqueur (such as Cointreau, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier). We tested this recipe both ways and it truly does not need the orange liqueur as it already has a perfect sweet and strong balance. That said, feel free to add half an ounce of orange liqueur if you prefer.
• Sweetener – Most margarita recipes call for simple syrup or agave syrup. I am always skeptical of a recipe that doesn’t include these, so I wanted to note that this recipe is extra sweet naturally from the watermelon juice and does not need an added sweetener. 
• Salt Ideas – We love to play with different versions of margarita salt. Try adding some chili powder to your kosher salt for a spicy rim. Or try our homemade margarita salt recipe with citrus rinds.

Variations

• Frozen Watermelon Margarita – To turn this recipe into a frozen drink, simply freeze some of the watermelon chunks in advance (1 cup) and blend the cocktail instead of using a cocktail shaker. 
• Spicy Watermelon Margarita – Add some jalapeño slices or serrano pepper slices to the cocktail shaker before shaking to add a bit of heat to your cocktail. You can also garnish the top of the drink with a pepper to signify that it’s a spicy margarita.
• Basil Watermelon Margarita – Add fresh basil (or mint) to the shaker before shaking and use as a garnish to add an herbal flair to your cocktail.

More Tequila Recipes

Recipes to pair with margaritas: