Watermelon Sangria

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: African American, North American

Keyword: cocktails, drinks, sangria, watermelon

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 5

chilling time: 2

Total Time: 2 35

Servings:

Calories: 167kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

Watermelon sangria is a refreshing adult beverage made with fresh watermelon juice, crisp white wine, and more, loaded with fresh fruits and sweetened with a honey-mint simple syrup.

Begin early in the day.

Print Recipe

Equipment

high-powered blender
fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

For the Honey-Mint Simple Syrup

1/2 cup (120 milliliters) honey
1/2 cup (120 milliters) water
2 bunches (30 leaves) mint

For the Watermelon Sangria

6 pounds (2.75 kilograms) watermelon diced, 1 pound (455 grams) reserved
750 milliliter bottle dry riesling
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) watermelon vodka
2 large limes juiced (about 1/3 cup or 80 milliliters)
1/4 cup cup (60 milliliters) tequila blanco
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) triple sec

Fruit Add Ins

6 ounces (170 grams) blackberries
6 ounces (170 grams) blueberries
6 ounces (170 grams) raspberries

Instructions

Prepare the Honey-Mint Simple Syrup (Can Be Done A Week Ahead)

Add the honey and water to a 1-quart saucepan.
Bring this mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to encourage it to mix.
Once the liquid comes to a simmer, allow it to cook for 1 minute.
Remove the pot from the stove and add the fresh mint leaves to the simple syrup.
Allow the mint leaves to steep in the hot simple syrup for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Watermelon Juice

Remove the watermelon rind from the fruit, then dice the melon into 1/2 cubes.
Reserve 1 pound (455 grams) of this diced watermelon to add to the finished sangria.
Add the remaining watermelon to a blender in parts and blend, in batches if necessary, until completely smooth.
As you blend each batch of watermelon chunks, pour the mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with a kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
Allow the juice to drain from the pureed watermelon while you blend the next batch.
After you blend the next batch, squeeze the remaining juice from the watermelon pulp into the kitchen towel.
Continue pouring, draining, and squeezing the juice from subsequent batches of pureed watermelon.
After you make the watermelon juice, sweeten it to taste by straining in the honey-mint simple syrup.
Discard the mint leaves.

Mix the Watermelon Sangria (Begin 2 Hours Ahead)

Add the dry riesling, fresh lime juice. watermelon vodka, tequila blanco, and triple sec to the watermelon juice, using a whisk to combine them.
Add the remaining chunks of watermelon, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries to a serving pitcher.
Carefully, fill the pitcher with the watermelon juice mixture.
Allow the watermelon sangria to rest for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors of the fruits to blend with the rest of the sangria.
Stir the watermelon sangria before serving in red wine glasses with a large bowl.

Notes

Swaps and Subsitutions:

You can replace the watermelon in this sangria recipe with cantaloupe, honeydew, or pineapple.
You can replace the watermelon vodka with plain vodka or white rum.
Swap the tequila blanco with white rum or vodka.
Replace the triple sec with orange curaçao or Cointreau.
You can replace the lime juice with lemon juice or orange juice.

Tips and Techniques:

I recommend making the honey-mint simple syrup at least 2 hours before you add it to the watermelon sangria. Prepare it a day or two ahead and leave the mint in the syrup to infuse as long as possible.
The longer you infuse the mint, the more your watermelon sangria will have a delicate floral flavor.
If you prepare the honey-mint simple syrup more than a couple of hours ahead, pour it (with the mint) into a jar. Store the jar, covered, in the fridge until you're ready to add it to the watermelon sangria.
Pick a watermelon with a creamy, dark orange spot on the rind. This "field spot" tells you that the watermelon was left on the vine to ripen longer.
A watermelon with large webbing and a dull rind is sweeter.
You can add as little or as much of the honey-mint simple syrup as you like.
When served in red wine glasses, the stem of the glass keeps your watermelon sangria from getting hot from your body heat, and its wide mouth allows you to fish out the boozy sangria fruits.

Storage Instructions:

Store leftover watermelon sangria in a covered container in the fridge for three days.
If you can't finish it within three days strain the sangria into wine bottles and store it for up to one year.

Nutrition