Jump to Recipe

A few weeks ago I came across a post on Instagram where the person was celebrating all of the wonderful produce of the summer. That is certainly something to celebrate! The woman who posted the photo asked her audience what their favorite summer produce was. After much deliberation, I decided that my answer to her question was watermelon. Watermelon is one of my top five favorite foods, and I always get SO excited come late May when I start to see juicy looking watermelon popping up in the grocery stores. My Watermelon Cucumber Salad is one of my favorite recipes on the blog and one I reach for all summer long. These daiquiris are up there, too!

This recipe was completely inspired by a restaurant near my day job, Republic. Republic is a great restaurant that I used to frequent monthly with a past coworker-turned-friend. We are big big fans of fun, seasonal cocktails, so when we saw a Watermelon Basil Daiquiri on the drink menu that came complete with a unique large watermelon ICE CUBE, we just knew we had to give it a try! It was our drink of choice during the summer months but sadly it appears they no longer offer this drink. Probably because, if I’m being completely honest, it’s a little bit of a pain to make fresh watermelon puree and the special ice cubes that, really, become the star of the show here. But if you’re in the mood to make a fancy little festive summery drink, I think you’ll agree that this is just the ticket! It’s perfect for cookouts and it’s even good a few days after you make it, if you store it in an airtight container in the fridge. So give it a go and let me know how you like it!

thehungryhungryhiker

Watermelon Basil Daiquiris

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Freezing/Chilling Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 9 cups watermelon, cubed plus more for garnish
  • 1 + ½ cups filtered water
  • ½ cup blended rum I use El Dorado 5 Year
  • 8 leaves fresh basil plus more for garnish
  • 3 limes, juice from before juicing, use one lime for the lime peel garnishes, if desired
  • ¼ cup local honey

Equipment

  • High speed blender
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Silicone ice cube mold (see Note)

Method
 

  1. Add the watermelon to a high speed blender. Crush with a wooden spoon to begin to release some of the juices. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds to one minute, until smooth.
  2. Set up a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Slowly pour the watermelon juice through the strainer. Let sit, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, scoop one cup of the watermelon pulp out of the strainer and place into the blender with 1 + ½ cups of filtered water. Blend for 20 seconds until combined. Distribute this mixture among the silicone mold and place in the freezer overnight. Pour the strained watermelon juice into an airtight container (I use a tall mason jar) and refrigerate overnight.
  3. To make the drinks: put a splash of rum into each rocks glass. Add two basil leaves to each glass, tearing the basil with your hands into a few pieces before adding to the glass. Muddle the basil leaves into the rum.
  4. Add 2 + ½ cups of watermelon juice, ½ cup rum, the juice from 3 limes, and 4 tbsp honey to the blender. Pulse a few times to combine. You do NOT want the mixture to be bubbly or frothy. If it becomes frothy, simply wait 10 minutes for it to settle and swirl the contents around manually.
  5. To serve: place one watermelon ice cube into each rocks glass. Pour the blended drink over the ice cube. Garnish with lime peels, watermelon cubes, and basil leaves as desired. Drink immediately and enjoy!

Notes

My silicone mold makes 6 perfect cubes that each have a capacity of 1/2 cup. Make sure that the mold you intend to use for your watermelon ice cubes will result in a shape that will fit into the glass you intend to use for your drinks.