Watermelon Margarita

By Alexa Weibel

Updated April 27, 2021

Watermelon Margarita
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susie Theodorou.
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(1,464)
Comments
Read comments

Mixing cocktails may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite intuitive once you understand how to balance the alcohol, sweetness and acidity. In “3-Ingredient Cocktails” (Ten Speed Press, 2017), Robert Simonson presents the formula for a perfect margarita: 1½ ounces tequila, 1 ounce Cointreau and ¾ ounce lime juice, shaken and served. Even easier to memorize, this version uses 6 ounces fresh watermelon juice — a sweet but subtle nod to summer — and 2 ounces each tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Be sure to taste and add more watermelon juice if your margarita is too boozy, and extra lime juice or even a pinch of salt if it’s too sweet.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:2 drinks

    For the Salted Rim (optional)

    • 1tablespoon fine sea salt
    • 1teaspoon Tajín or ½ teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)

    For the Drink

    • Ice, as needed
    • 6ounces fresh watermelon juice (from about 1½ cups chopped seedless watermelon, blended and strained)
    • 2ounces tequila, preferably blanco
    • 2ounces Cointreau (optional)
    • 2ounces fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 large limes), rinds reserved
    • 2 to 3thinly sliced jalapeño rounds (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

172 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 443 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the salted rim, if using: In a small shallow bowl or plate, combine the sea salt and Tajín. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a shaker filled with ice, combine the watermelon juice, tequila, Cointreau (if using), lime juice and jalapeño (if using). Shake to combine. (Note: The watermelon flavor shines brighter without the Cointreau, but the liqueur takes the drink into more traditional margarita territory. If you’d like to compare, first try the mixture without, the liqueur, then add 1 ounce of it per serving.)

  3. Step 3

    Using one of the squeezed lime halves, run it along the rim of two rocks glasses, then dip the rims into the salt mixture. Fill the glasses with ice, then strain the margaritas into the glasses and enjoy immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,464 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Francesca

Delicious summery drink! Didn’t bother straining the watermelon, just whirred it up good in the blender and got a lovely, silky juice. Absolutely go for the additional two ounces of liqueur — I subbed triple sec for Cointreau — to make this a real drink for two.

Nikki

Save yourself some time and energy by cutting up the watermelon and freezing overnight instead of making watermelon juice. It’s a frozen watermelon margarita that will make everyone happy on a hot day. The frozen version is 100 times more popular and delicious than the regular version. And so much easier to make by the picture. Highly recommended for a pool party!

Allison

This recipe is delicious, but I found that the lime juice overpowered the watermelon a bit, so I added more watermelon juice than the recipe called for. This gave more of the flavor I was expecting. Also made a batch with mezcal which gave an excellent smoky flavor that paired nicely with the watermelon. Definitely recommend!

pro bartender

If you reduce the Cointreau by half you have a perfect margarita.

jess in nm

freezing the watermelon beforehand and making this a frozen drink is the best tip in the comments - takes this drink from okay to AMAZING

Jessica

Fresh watermelon is amazing, but if I’m feeling lazy or don’t have any on hand, I’ll use Simply Watermelon juice in its place. Delicious!

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.