Watermelon Mint Julep
Nothing is more refreshing than watermelon in the Summer when it comes to fruit. I could eat a whole one, and I have actually. It is a very hydrating fruit, at 92 percent water, so it is the perfect thing to enjoy post workout if you blend it up and drink it instead of a sports drink to re-hydrate. I love blending it up and just drinking it in a big glass. But of course I will never say no to it if it is just cut up as well. I was gifted a big heavy watermelon at work last Friday and I thought why not make a drink out of part of it because it was kind of a mentally stressful week. I am not talking just blending up the watermelon. I mean adding a little kick to it in the form of alcohol. I wanted a margarita but all I had was bourbon and I didn't want to have to go out and buy a whole bottle of tequila, so I decided to make a watermelon julep. I picked up some mint at my work (I work in a health food store), and some limes and I could not wait to make this drink. Let me tell you, I had a lot of watermelon during the process of making this. I cubed up the watermelon, and of course I had to snack on it while I made the drink, and I had gone for a walk after work so I needed refreshment plus it was irresistibly good. Needless to say at least 1/4 of it was gone before I even made the drink.
It is really simple to make actually. You just take watermelon and blend it up in a high speed blender to make juice, then combine it with the other ingredients in the blender to mix it. I have never actually made a mint julep before to be honest, but I looked up a few recipes to get an idea of the nature of the drink. This one is a little more fancy than most, because the classic ones just contain bourbon, sugar, mint and ice. But the watermelon was to be the bulk of the drink with a good quality bourbon added. It needed the fresh mint of course, and I added a little lime juice to balance out the sweet. This drink did not contain any refined sugar, I instead opted for just a bit of maple syrup as it blends well into drinks.
It was so good once I added the ice and poured it into the glasses! I imagine sipping this drink on the patio on a hot Summer day! If I had a patio. Sipping it in my kitchen was just fine. It is just the right amount of sweet, the bourbon blends perfectly with the watermelon flavor, and the fragrant mint makes it super refreshing! If you have a watermelon on hand, give this s try!
Watermelon Mint Julep
Makes 2
Ingredients:
- handful of ice cubes
- 2 cups fresh watermelon juice
- 1/2 cup bourbon (be sure to check Barnivore to make sure it is vegan)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 10 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- ice for serving
- lime slices for serving
Directions:
- To make drink, combine all ingredients but the serving ice in a blender at low to medium speed and blend briefly until mixed together.
- Place 1/3 cup ice into 2 serving glasses.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer into the prepared glasses, garnish with mint leaves and serve!
