I’m going to keep it short and simple today. It’s Friday, just a day before one of my favorite holidays, the 4th of July!!!
I’m looking forward to
- the fireworks (the best part!)
- the picnic I’m going to have in the park
- the delicious cucumber salad and veggie burgers I’m going to make
- and, the giggly tipsiness I will embrace 🙂
I’ve never shared a cocktail on Sweet Potato Soul. I am more of a wine person, but I’ll occasionally break out a bottle of liquor to use in a fancy drink. A friend recently gave me a bottle of mezcal, a smoky Mexican liquor made from the agave plant, and I’ve been dying to use it in something. To be honest, cocktails kind of intimidate me. Especially those made with mezcal or tequila. However, this simple mezcal watermelon margarita is 100{8466e38f199acc0b56b221a7b99587ba7df7b1c007902bc779bf0ba15c186af7} easy to make, and requires no special skills.
The smokiness of the mezcal with the sweetness of the watermelon is phenomenal! A couple of slices of spicy jalepeño pepper and a squeeze of lime balance the whole thing out. If you don’t drink alcohol, this cocktail is really yummy without it too. It’s Independence day approved, and perfect for all of summer!
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY GUYS!!
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Add the watermelon to a blender or food processor. Blend until liquified.
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Strain the watermelon juice through a sieve, cheesecloth, or nut bag. If desired, reserve the pulp and freeze it for watermelon ice cubes.
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Fill two glasses with ice. Pour 3/4 cup of the watermelon juice into each glass. Next, divide the fresh lime juice between the two glasses.
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Add 2 jalapeño slices and 1/2 cup of seltzer water to each glass.
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Top the glasses with 1/4 cup of mezcal. Stir lightly to combine and serve cold!
Transfer leftover margaritas to a pitcher or an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days. Store separately from the ice to avoid dilution.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Use quality mezcal. Choose a high-quality mezcal made from 100{8466e38f199acc0b56b221a7b99587ba7df7b1c007902bc779bf0ba15c186af7} agave, without added sugars or artificial flavors, for the smoothed best-tasting margarita.
- Chill ingredients. Before making the cocktail, chill the prepared watermelon juice, lime juice, and seltzer water before combining in a chilled glass to ensure the cocktail is ice-cold and refreshing.
- Adjust to taste. Customize this recipe to suit your taste – add more spice by including more jalapeño slices, tartness by increasing the amount of lime juice, or sweetness by adding more watermelon juice.
- Muddle the jalapeños. Instead of adding jalapeño slices to each cocktail, you can muddle the jalapeño to extract a more concentrated flavor for a spicier margarita.
- Use watermelon ice cubes. Elevate the flavor of this watermelon spicy margarita by freezing the leftover watermelon pulp in an ice cube tray and using them instead of ice in each drink. They will enhance the flavor as they melt!
- Flavor the cocktail rim. To add some extra flair and flavor to this mezcal margarita recipe, run a lime wedge along the rim of the glass before serving. You can also make this a salted watermelon margarita by dipping the lime-rimmed glass in sea salt.
Liked this mezcal watermelon margarita? Comment below!
