Watermelon Basil Mocktail

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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 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

Print

📖 Recipe