Watermelon Mint Refresher

Picture me sipping this while reclining in a soft beach chair with three, no – four, people surrounding me, fanning me with palm leaves. That is the space I automatically transfer to while drinking this ABSURDLY refreshing watermelon-y, lime-y, mint-y, slightly fizzy beverage from heaven. On the refreshing scale of 1 to 10, this watermelon refresher is a 34. Feel me?

Watermelon and summer are two besties holding hands and walking down the street, inseparable. Is there anything that screams summer more loudly and aggressively than watermelon?? I don’t think so…it’s like the epitome of everything you want during summer…it’s cool, refreshing, crisp, and bonus – hydrating! Which isn’t a bad thing as the high temperatures suck all the moisture from your body, leaving you like Spongebob Squarepants when his little square butt ends up on land. See photo documented below:

^^^Actual footage of me from June – August.

I’m still a huge fan of summer over winter – cold weather IS EVIL. But low hundred temps require tasty goodies like this watermelon refresher, one hundred percent!

Let me break this down for ya – here’s what we’ve got going on:

• Watermelon (obvi)
• Mint
• Lime juice

Those three things go into your blender and you turn that baby on until you’ve got a nice, smooth liquid. Then we strain it through a fine mesh sieve until all you’re left with is smooth, pulp-free, watermelon, mint, and lime nectar. Pure sweet, refreshing, goodness.

Then you fill a cup with lots of ice, pour the watermelon juice mixture in about 3/4 of the way to the top and add a splash of watermelon flavored sparking water. I buy Target’s brand of flavored sparkling water, but you can use anything. You don’t have to use watermelon flavored, but it just reinforces that delicious flavor, so I highly recommend 👍.

The result of your hard not hard at all work? An icy cup of sweet, slightly fizzy, bright, fruity, refreshing liquid that you will crave all summer long. It’s a constant fridge companion for sure.

You guys. MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE TODAY. Now. Right this second. It’s very important.

T-minus 5 days until Ford’s first birthday! We’ve finally gotten down with some of the planning. Mainly food…but does that surprise anyone? Food is life. At this point we are going to do “dinosaur eggs” (donut holes), “raptor claws” (bugles), a “watering hole” (some sort of drink – STRONGLY considering this watermelon refresher), and a “carnivore” and “herbivore” tray with various meat + veggie goodies.

Isn’t that all so adorably cheesy? I love the cheesy.

For dessert little Fordy is having a smash cake that I’m ordering (as we have discussed in the past, I have zero baking ability), and my mom is making chocolate cupcakes with crushed up Chips Ahoy cookies on top to look like gravel/dirt. Yay for the dino theme!

I’ll let you know how the party goes…it should be pretty adorbs 😉.

Watermelon Mint Refresher

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 cups diced watermelon, about 1/2 of a medium watermelon
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (for me, this was about 1 1/2 large limes)
• Watermelon flavored sparkling water (If you can’t find watermelon, another flavor like lemon or lime would work. Plain would be fine too, it would just add less flavor!)

Instructions

1. Add the watermelon, lime, and mint to a blender and blend until totally liquefied and smooth
2. Strain the juice into a pitcher through a fine mesh sieve. I like to pour some in and then scrape back and forth against the sieve with a large spoon to make the process faster
3. To serve, fill a cup with ice and pour the watermelon juice almost to the top, about 3/4 or more, and then add a large splash of watermelon sparkling water on top!
4. If you want to be fancy, you can garnish with lime slices and mint leaves :)

Notes

You don’t have to add the sparkling water, but it brings a nice fizz to the drink, which I love!

You also don’t have to strain it, but the final product will be a little thicker and pulpier if you don’t. But if you want to save extra time, skip the strain!

If you are using a smaller blender for this (like a magic bullet), you will need to work in batches.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3/4 cup juice with splash of sparking water
• Calories: 57
• Sugar: 14 g
• Sodium: 0 mg
• Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 15 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy drinks? Check these out:

Lavender Lemonade

Blackberry, Lemon, Mint Water

Superfood Green Tea Smoothie