With the end of summer comes an abundance of summer produce, including watermelon. Watermelon has been a staple in my household, whether it be in salads, dipped in chocolate, or as a snack with salt sprinkled on top. There are so many uses for watermelon, which brings me to a new favorite recipe, my watermelon martini.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

This watermelon martini can be made in a flash. A couple hours before you plan on making the watermelon martini, freeze some martini glasses, so your drink will stay cold and refreshing. When it comes time to prepare the martini, all you need to do is blend up the seedless watermelon until liquefied, then add the watermelon juice, vodka, lime juice and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake up the cocktail mixture well. Remove the glasses from the freezer and pour the martini mixture into the glasses. Garnish the glasses with a watermelon wedge and serve. Cheers!

If the kiddos are around, you can adapt this drink to make a virgin cocktail, including watermelon juice and limeade. They will love it!

What if watermelon isn’t in season?

In my house, watermelon is always in season and available. However, you can also play around with produce you include in your martinis. For an early to mid-summer martini, you can also use pineapple, strawberries or blueberries. Or for a more wintery twist on this martini, you can opt for orange or pomegranate. There are so many options to change up this recipe.

Varieties of watermelon

You can have a lot of fun with different variations of this watermelon martini by switching up the variety of watermelon that you use. On the east coast this time of year you can find the traditional watermelon with red flesh, but there are also varieties with yellow and orange flesh. The latter two are often sweeter than the red-fleshed watermelon.1 This watermelon martini will be delicious with any of the varieties. 

Picking out watermelon

Regardless of which variety of watermelon you are choosing, there are a couple of different criteria to look out for to make sure your watermelon is ripe and sweet! So when shopping for a watermelon, make sure there aren’t any major imperfections on the exterior of the fruit, make sure the fruit is heavy and make sure there is a yellow or off-white spot on the bottom of the melon.2 These three tips will help you to pick the best watermelon.

Nutrition

Who said you can’t get a little bit of nutrition from a cocktail? Watermelon is high in vitamin C, and has notable amounts of vitamin A, and thiamin, too.3 Vitamin C is crucial for the formation of collagen in our bodies.4 Because of vitamin C’s role in the formation of collagen, it can help to not only keep our skin healthy, but to heal wounds.4 The vitamin A and thiamin are beneficial for immunity and eye health, and cell health, respectively.5,6 Watermelon is a great ingredient to incorporate throughout your meals.

When it comes to consuming alcohol, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, consumption of alcoholic beverages should be limited to 2 drinks per day for males and 1 drink per day for females.7  

As always, if you try one of my recipes, let me know on Instagram at @ChefAbbieGellman, or in the comments below!

Similar Pages

If you loved my watermelon martini, check out my Cucumber Grapefruit Fizz, my Orange Shandy, and my Blueberry Mint Cocktail!

Resources

1. Builder M. Here’s the Difference Between Pink, Orange, and Yellow Watermelon. MyRecipes. https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/heres-the-difference-between-pink-orange-and-yellow-watermelon. Published February 7, 2018. Accessed September 2, 2020.
2. Facts & FAQs. Watermelon Board. https://www.watermelon.org/watermelon-101/facts-faqs/. Published January 20, 2020. Accessed September 2, 2020.
3. Nutrient Profile. Watermelon Board. https://www.watermelon.org/nutrition/nutrient-profile/. Published January 18, 2020. Accessed September 2, 2020.
4. Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin C. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/. Accessed September 2, 2020.
5. Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin A. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Vitamin A is the name,1,4,5]. Accessed September 2, 2020.
6. Office of Dietary Supplements – Thiamin. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=It is also known as,function of cells [1]. Accessed September 2, 2020.
7. Appendix 9. Alcohol. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/appendix-9/. Accessed September 2, 2020.

Watermelon Martini

4.25 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Keyword: adult beverage, alcoholic beverage, martini, watermelon

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon flesh cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup (4 oz.) premium vodka
• Juice of 1 lime
• Ice
• Watermelon slices for garnish

Instructions

• Place watermelon in blender and puree until liquefied.
• Place the watermelon juice, vodka, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Top with ice. Shake well.
• Pour contents through the strainer into chilled martini glasses.
• Garnish with a wedge of watermelon if desired.

Video