Watermelon Basil Mocktail

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This watermelon basil mocktail is a refreshing non alcoholic drink that will be a crowd pleaser this summer. Made with basil simple syrup, fresh watermelon juice, lime and a bit of sparkling water for some fizz.

If you are looking for some other mocktails to try this spring & summer season, try this paloma mocktail, this guava mocktail or this strawberry mojito mocktail.

For another basil-flavored non alcoholic drink, try this strawberry basil mocktail.

For other refreshing watermelon flavored drinks, try this watermelon pineapple smoothie or this banana watermelon smoothie.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Step By Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Light & Refreshing — This watermelon fizz mocktail is a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink that you will want to sip all day by the pool. 
• Homemade Basil Syrup — This recipe is made with basil simple syrup, infused from fresh basil leaves. This adds much more basil flavor to the drink compared to muddling basil leaves.
• Large Batch — If you have a whole watermelon, this is an easy mocktail to make in a large batch and serve to a group of friends.

Ingredients

• Watermelon: Use fresh watermelon. The watermelon can be seedless already, or you can just remove the seeds yourself before blending the watermelon. 
• Basil: Use fresh basil leaves only. This recipe will not work with dried basil. 
• Sugar: Sugar is used to make the simple syrup which adds both basil flavoring and sweetness to the mocktail. 
• Lime: Freshly squeezed lime juice adds a bit of tartness to balance out the sweetness from the watermelon and the basil simple syrup. 
• Water: Regular, filtered tap water is used to make the basil syrup.
• Sparkling Water: Sparkling water gives the mocktail a bit of fizz. You can use regular, unflavored sparkling water. Or, if you can find it, try a watermelon flavored sparkling water for an extra watermelon punch.

Equipment

Here is the equipment you will need to make the watermelon basil mocktail:

• A small saucepan to make the basil syrup in. 
• A blender to blend the watermelon chunks in. 
• A strainer to strain out the watermelon pulp and make fresh watermelon juice. 
• A cocktail shaker to shake the mocktail in.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Heat the basil, sugar and water on a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is ok if the syrup has a very gentle simmer, but don’t let it boil.

Step 2: Once the sugar has completely dissolved, strain out the basil leaves and let the syrup cool to room temperature before using it.

Step 3: Add the watermelon chunks to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp.

Step 4: Add the watermelon juice, basil simple syrup and lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a serving glass. Top with the sparkling water.

Expert Tips

• Gently press the leaves as they cook. Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to press the leaves as you make the syrup. This encourages the leaves to release their juices.
• Store leftover basil syrup in the fridge. This recipe will make a bit of extra basil simple syrup. Allow leftover syrup to cool to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
• Adjust the sweetness. Adjust the sweetness of this mocktail to your liking. To make it sweeter, add in a bit of extra basil syrup. To reduce the sweetness, use less basil syrup or add in extra lime juice.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe