Aww summer – the days are long and warm and family and friends gather for backyard parties to connect and cool off. At these gatherings, you will always find me positioned near the platter of watermelon. Slice in hand, bending over so that the falling juices miss my shoes, I am in heaven slurping up the crisp, sweet flesh of a chunk of chilled watermelon.
As much as I enjoy watermelon, I rarely buy them for myself. Somehow these big guys always seem to overwhelm me. Do I have available space in my refrigerator? Who will help me eat it all? Dean’s not a watermelon fan, so I’m on my own. I’ve tried the smaller, soccer ball-sized watermelons, but they lack the sweetness that the larger watermelons deliver.
Needing a watermelon fix, I decided to bring a large watermelon home and attempt something that I saw on YouTube – juicing the watermelon with an immersion blender. Here are the results!
With 12 cups of watermelon juice from my 16-pound melon, I started experimenting with various flavor combinations. Watermelon juice mixed with a tablespoon of mint simple sugar (that I have on hand for mojitos) and a splash of soda water is an easy and refreshing drink. The flavor that took watermelon to a whole new level for me was the addition of fresh lime juice. Sweet yet tart, brightened by sparkling water, this Sparkling Watermelon Limeade will refresh you on the hottest of summer days.
This refreshing summer beverage can be fun to make at a summer BBQ or brunch. While this version is non-alcoholic, replacing the seltzer water with sparkling wine makes a unique and festive adult beverage.
- 4 cups blended watermelon juice
- ½ cup fresh lime juice about 4 limes
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 2 cups seltzer water
- watermelon wedges for garnish
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To make the watermelon juice, blend cubes of seedless watermelon in a blender or use an immersion blender to make the juice inside the watermelon. (See video in post.)
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Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, chill and serve.
One large (16 pound) seedless watermelon will provide about 12 cups of blended watermelon juice. Enough to triple the recipe for a large gathering.
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Hysterical! We can hardly wait to try it @ Fulford. I think the only missing ingredient might be tequila!
I was thinking it would be good with champagne, but tequila works for me! I can’t wait to spend sometime with my old high school friends in Fulford.
Loved your first foray into video. Camera presence reminds me of the old Blinky Fun Club days!
Thanks for bringing up my early days with Blinky the Clown! Boy was that a learning curve for having a TV presence…you’d never know what old Blinky would do once the cameras started rolling. And there were never retakes!
We can always count on you for something yummy AND a bit healthy… This sounds DELISH! (And you could probably use good old limeade from the can if you don’t have all those healthy ingredients! wink wink)
Using limeade from the can is absolutely a great shortcut! I’m always trying to keep the sugar down, but the watermelon juice and sparkling water will naturally cut some of the sweetness from pre-made limeade. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.