Watermelon Basil Smash Mocktail Recipe
Watermelon and basil pounded together with lime — sweet, savoury and impossibly pink.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Watermelon juice90 ml (3 oz)
- Fresh lime juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Simple syrup15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Fresh basil leaves8 piece
How to Make It
- Muddle the basil with the lime juice and syrup.
- Add the watermelon juice and ice, then shake hard.
- Pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with basil and a watermelon wedge.
Garnish
Basil sprig and a watermelon wedge
What it tastes like
Fruit notes come forward, it has a green, botanical backdrop and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Fresh lime juice
- Freshly squeezed lime. Bottled lime tastes cooked and flat; one lime gives about 30 ml. If you have none, half lemon and half grapefruit juice comes closest.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
The Story
The alcohol-free half of the smash revival, which put fresh herbs into shakers everywhere in the 2010s.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Watermelon Basil Smash mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- Does a Watermelon Basil Smash contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Watermelon Basil Smash hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Watermelon in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.