Sipping refreshing watermelon juice with lips glazed in glossy red lipstick to match your drink is what summer is all about. My version of watermelon juice has chaat masala which adds tang and spice to counter balance the sweetness of the watermelon.
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This drink can easily be made for a large crowd as an agua fresca-esque juice or can be transformed into a cocktail to drink into the wee hours of the long summer nights. In this post, I'll give you some recommendations for making, storing, and serving this delightful drink with the perfect spice adorned rim. If you are looking for some delicious snacks to pair, I highly recommend serving it with a chaat like nachos chaat, crispy kale chaat, or watermelon burrata chaat if you really want to double up on the watermelon.
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Ingredients for this mocktail
The ingredients in this juice in its mocktail form are pretty straight forward.
- Watermelon - You can buy a whole seedless watermelon for this recipe. I like to cut it up myself as it is cheaper than buying pre-cut watermelon.
- Lime Juice
- Mint - I love the freshness that herbs add to this drink but you can omit it if you don't have any on hand. Otherwise, a great substitute is basil.
- Chaat Masala: This is an Indian spice blend that is sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy! You can buy it online or at your local Indian store.
Making a large batch for a crowd
Here are tips for making and storing this juice for a large crowd:
- This recipe easily doubles or triples.
- Shake and stir juice before drinking. The watermelon juice and chaat masala settles as it sits so make sure to give it a shake before drinking.
- Make this juice up to 3 days before and event and store in the fridge.
- This juice last even longer if you leave the mint out. Add the mint in just before you are ready to drink.
- Freeze the watermelon juice for up to a month.
Making juice without a blender
Here are some ideas for how you can make watermelon juice without a blender:
- Food processor - You can easily use a food processor instead of a blender for this recipe. Work in batches to ensure that the food processor can handle the juices.
- Double bag the watermelon and lightly squish with rolling pin.
- Place a few watermelon cubes over a strainer with bowl underneath and lightly press the watermelon with the back of a large spatula until it releases its juices.
How to make a watermelon juice cocktail
To make this into a cocktail, mix ¼ - ½ cup of juice; 1.5 ounces or a shot of clear liquor like gin, vodka, or mezcal; and your favorite hard seltzer.
Making the rim for this drink
The recipe for this drink calls for a rim that is totally optional but which I think adds a nice extra flare. Here are the ingredients for the rim with exact measurements down below:
- Paprika
- Chaat Masala
- Kosher Salt
- Sugar
- Juice (lime or excess watermelon juice)
The paprika in the drink gives a vibrant red color without being overly spicy, the chaat masala ties into the spices in the drink itself, and the salt and sugar add that salty sweet combo that really makes the spices pop. Simply dip the rim of the glass in a shallow bowl of juice and then rotate the rim on a plate with the spice blend!
Ideas for garnishing drink
Watermelon juice makes a vibrant pinkish red backdrop for a variety of garnishes. Here are a few that I suggest for this drink:
- Mint leaves - Adds herbaceous-ness and a bright green pop
- Jalapeños - Adds a bit of a kick to the watermelon drink
- Dried orange slices
- Marigold flowers - These edible flowers make for an excellent garnish
Snacks to pair with watermelon juice
Here are some snacks or finger foods to munch on while sipping on this watermelon juice:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can prep and save the watermelon juice up to 3 days ahead of time and place it in the fridge. Alternatively, you can place the juice in the freezer for up to a month.
You can buy chaat masala at your local Indian store or online.
Yes, you can use a food processor instead of a blender for this recipe. Alternatively, you can place watermelon cubes over a strainer and lightly press the watermelon with the back of a large spatula until it releases it juices.
Light liquors like vodka, gin, and mezcal pair beautifully with watermelon juice. If you are looking to add a little bubbly to this drink, I recommend adding some sparkling seltzer to brighten it up.
Indian Style Watermelon Juice with Chaat Masala
Product Reccs
Ingredients
Drink Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs watermelon rind removed, cut into rough pieces
- 2 limes
- 1.5 teaspoons chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5-6 sprigs of mint plus more for garnish stems removed
Rim Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add 1.5 lbs watermelon roughly cut pieces to the blender. Make sure that the blender is only ¾ of the way full with watermelon, if it is too full then make the watermelon juice in batches.
- Squeeze in the juice of 2 limes into the blender. Two limes should be approximately ¼ cup of juice.
- Add 1.5 teaspoons chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and 5-6 sprigs of mint plus more for garnish into the blender and blend juice until it is a homogenized mixture.
- Chill the watermelon juice in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To make the rim:Take about 2 tablespoons of watermelon juice and pour it into a shallow bowl wide enough to fit the width of your drinking glass. Mix 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small plate. Dip the glass in the juice and then dip and rotate it in the spice blend.
- Assemble drink: Once the glasses have been rimmed, pour the chilled juice into the glass and optionally garnish with mint leaves.
Notes and Tips
- To make this a cocktail: You can optionally mix a shot (1.5 ounces) of white liquor like vodka, mezcal, or gin; 3 ounces of watermelon juice; and 1.5 ounces of hard seltzer.
- Garnishing options: You can garnish this juice with mint leaves, marigold flowers, watermelon slices, or jalapeños.
Shri Repp
This is the perfect drink for the summer!
ami
Such a beautiful drink. I made two batches, one without mint, one with mint. The one without blended mint was a bit prettier and bright colored. I loved both.