Watermelon Mint Daquiri
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Fresh and inviting, this is summertime in a glass.
By Erin Henderson
Necessity is the mother of all invention, and this cocktail is one we came up with while staying in Nicaragua for a month last winter.
Sugarcane is among the country’s biggest agriculture products, and therefore rum is its biggest spirit. The equivalent of $9 Canadian buys a 750 ml bottle of very fine rum.
Roadside farm stands selling fresh fruit and vegetables are everywhere in Nicaragua – from the weirdest, most remote country roads to a bustling corner on a busy intersection in a city. Enterprising farmers – or their kids – sell whatever they’ve managed to pick that day: limes, avocados, coconuts, pineapples, watermelon.
Taking advantage of the local bounty – and the blistering heat of a Nicaraguan February – we created this deeply delicious, bright and zesty daiquiri, blending fresh watermelon into silky juice, macerating just-picked mint in the fragrant rum, and squeezing plump limes still warm from the sun.
Now that it’s warming up in Ontario, this dramatically red cocktail is returning to our apéro – and not a moment too soon.
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Watermelon Mint Daiquiri
Fresh, enlivening, and an alluringly dramatic shade of red these really are a fabulous way to usher in a summer’s eve soiree. The recipe below makes a pitcher’s worth, which is perfect for a party. Why get stuck behind the bar mixing and muddling when you can simply measure once and drink all night?
Makes: just over 2 litres
Bartender level: moderate
Ingredients:
- 3 cups watermelon puree (you will need 8 cups cubed and seeded fresh watermelon to get this volume)
- 3 cups white rum
- 1.5 cups fresh lime juice
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 large bunch of fresh mint, plus extra for garnish
How to Make It:
- Add a large handful of clean mint to an empty pitcher, and pour rum over, stirring gently to combine. Set aside to allow to infuse while you make everything else.
- Cube and de-seed your watermelon (do this over a bowl to catch all the juice.)
- Add about 8 cups of cubed watermelon (and any juices) to a blender and whiz for about 30 seconds until completely liquified.
- Strain juice through a fine-mesh sieve into another container.
- Add lime juice and simple syrup to rum.
- Pour in strained watermelon juice to rum mixture and stir to combine.
- Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- When ready, fill glasses with ice. Stir the watermelon-mint daiquiri (it will have separated a little), and pour into each glass, using a strainer to stop the mint in the pitcher from falling out and creating a mess.
- Garnish with a fresh mint sprig (and a slice of watermelon if you are feeling the vibe) and serve!