There’s just something about a cool, refreshing drink that goes hand in hand with early summer days, backyard barbecues, good friends, and great stories. And this frozen watermelon mojito is that perfect cool and refreshing drink. For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of trying a traditional mojito, this delicious cocktail is made by muddling mint leaves with sugar and adding white rum, lime juice, and a splash of soda water. My twist on this traditional Cuban cocktail uses fresh watermelon for even more added sweetness and summery taste, and is blended with ice like a frozen margarita to make it perfect for cooling off on those hot summer days.
I think that the key to this frozen watermelon mojito is the fresh mint, which perfectly sets off the bite of the white rum. At my dad’s house upstate, fresh mint grows wild like a weed – in fact I think technically it is a weed. Honestly I don’t know where it came from first – if we bought a mint plant, or if it just happened to start growing on our property – but it seemed like year by year there was more and more mint growing in our backyard. One year it was just in a small patch of unused soil beside our tomato plants, the following year it had spread to all the flower beds surrounding it, and the year after that it was growing in every free spot where another plant had not already occupied residency. At first we didn’t quite know what to do with it. As a kid I would grab a few leaves to chew on every time I walked by – I always had really fresh breath – but soon we realized it was the perfect addition to iced teas, lemonades, fresh salads, and even scrambled eggs. And while we certainly weren’t using it to make cocktails when I was a kid (maybe my dad was and I never knew about it), the watermelon mojito is now my go-to drink as fresh mint starts springing up in my own backyard.
I make this frozen watermelon mojito super easy by using Bacardi frozen mojito mix, which already contains all the sugar, lime juice, and mint that you’ll need for your mojito, plus it’s frozen so it adds to that super cold frozen cocktail feel of this drink. You can find it in the freezer section of your grocery store (near the frozen lemonades and orange juice cans) but apparently it can be a bit tricky to find. You can use frozen limeade instead, which still has all the lime juice and sugar you will need for your frozen watermelon mojitos. If you don’t happen to find either, or simply want to go all out and make this cocktail from scratch, you can use lots of fresh lime juice and sugar to taste. Even though I use the frozen mojito mix which has mint in it already, I still like to add bunches of fresh mint to bring an even brighter taste. Blend your Bacardi mojito mix (or frozen limeade, or fresh lime juice and sugar if you’re using that instead) with lots of ice, fresh mint, and watermelon chunks, add in as much white rum as you like, and you’re done!
I will give you one warning about this frozen watermelon mojito: it is just sweet enough where it starts to become slightly dangerous because it tastes just like drinking juice instead of an alcoholic beverage. This makes it a bit tricky to keep track of how much alcohol you are actually consuming – so keep track of how many you’ve had and drink responsibly! But the fresh mint and watermelon bring it back from that line of overly sweet, giving you that fresh and bright taste. We were sucking these frozen watermelon mojitos down this past Memorial Day Weekend, and they have quickly become a staple for our summer backyard barbecues and get-togethers; I hope they will be for your’s too!
- 1 can frozen Bacardi Mojito Mix or frozen limeade
- 4-5 cups fresh watermelon, cubed
- 1 bunch, about 10 springs, of fresh mint
- 10 oz white rum
- 2-3 cups of ice
- Fresh lime juice (optional)
- Add ice, watermelon chunks, mint leaves, and frozen mojito or limeade to blender and blend on high until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large pitcher, add the white rum, and stir well to combine. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional), a fresh piece of watermelon, and a sprig of mint.
Hey it’s a nice article, A glass of frozen watermelon mojito is enough to beat the heat in hot summer and yes, a mint plant start to grow everywhere on itself, isn’t it nice?