Boozy Watermelon Rosemary Lemonade
Serve it over plenty of ice!
What you'll need: watermelon, gin, rosemary, sugar and lemon.
First step: make the rosemary-infused simple syrup.
The rosemary was lovely and tender -- straight from Amanda's windowbox!
You also need lots of fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
And a ripe, juicy watermelon. Ours was perfect.
Cutting the melon into cubes makes it easier to whiz up in the blender.
Which we did next, with the lemon juice.
We then added some of the cooled rosemary syrup to taste.
Into a pitcher -- or in our case, a large Mason jar.
After we added the gin and a little water, we gave it a good stir.
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A&M say: This tart, pink cocktail is a burst of summer in a glass. You don't strain the watermelon puree, which gives the drink some texture, and we love that piccantedolce calls for gin instead of a more predictable spirit like vodka. The mineral quality of the gin is echoed in the rosemary infused syrup, which announces its presence clearly without hijacking the whole flavor profile. We recommend you serve this over plenty of ice in Mason jars. - A&M
piccantedolce says: I came up with the recipe for the lemonade first and then discovered that it went amazingly with gin, making it a favorite summer drink in our house! - piccantedolce
Serves 6
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup lemon juice - fresh squeezed
- 7 cups watermelon - cut into a 1" dice - approx half a medium watermelon
- 8 ounces gin
- 1 lemon - thinly sliced
- Place sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan, add rosemary sprigs. Cook over medium heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved remove from heat, cover saucepan and let sit for at least an hour to infuse.
- In a blender combine the lemon juice with cubed watermelon. Add the watermelon in batches, blending in between each addition.
- Add in the rosemary simple syrup 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is at your desired sweetness. I use about a cup.
- Pour the mixture into a large pitcher and add 1 cup of cold water, the gin and fill with the watermelon mixture. Stir to combine. Serve in jars garnished with a lemon slice and half of a rosemary sprig.
- Your Best Poolside Cocktail Contest Winner!
3 months ago Sashinka
p.s. I used Hendrick's Gin as Mcraigclark suggested and it was the perfect choice,thanks for that! I may add cucumber next time as suggested, that sounds like it may work well in this fabulous recipe... Love this drink. :-)
3 months ago Sashinka
I love watermelon so much that I cube it and freeze it. I like the texture of frozen watermelon so i keep it on hand. So, imagine my pleasure at finding this recipe AND having the correct amount of watermelon on hand! I just made this and it's fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing such an interesting and delicious recipe! This is a keeper.
4 months ago haley.madsen.77
This was the most delicious drink we have ever made. It is so tasty and the rosemary is such a wonderful hint to the sweet watermelon. My boyfriend and I drank a whole pitcher over the course of the day and no hangover the next day either ha.
4 months ago haley.madsen.77
This was the most delicious drink we have ever made. It is so tasty and the rosemary is such a wonderful hint to the sweet watermelon. My boyfriend and I drank a whole pitcher over the course of the day and no hangover the next day either ha.
6 months ago Ms. T
I've been lusting after this recipe forever and finally had a chance to try it this weekend. Bravo! Equally enjoyed by pregnant ladies (with a splash of sparkling water) and the boozers (with gin or vodka), it was a huge hit all around. Like summer in a glass. Love the subtle hint of rosemary. I did end up straining the juice to remove most of the pulp and the little white seeds from the "seedless" melon. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
7 months ago EmilyC
Made this today without the booze -- it's fantastic! I used raw sugar for the rosemary simple syrup, sparkling water instead of still, and served it over lots of ice. So delicious.
7 months ago ihaventpoisonedyouyet
I used vodka and heavens! What a great way to add fruit to our diet! Best recipe ever!!!
9 months ago hmaier
Excellent! I made this for Memorial Day and got nothing but compliments for it!
over 1 year ago JackieP
this is seriously the best homemade cocktail i've made yet! it's sooooooo delicious! we've tried with vodka and bourbon, and oh my, nothing but delicious! the rosemary simple syrup is genius too! gonna try to concoct a few other drinks w/it come spring!
over 1 year ago hilary.ann.smith
Just made this tonight and it is AMAZING. I put the 8 oz in the pitcher and am letting people add more gin as their tast suits. Do you think this could be done with a fruit other than watermelon? (my boyfriend is allergic to melons--his loss).
over 1 year ago sygyzy
This drink was amazing. I am not sure if this was teh intention but you could barely taste the gin. I am not trying to make the drink taste like I am taking shots but really, 4 oz is barely anything. Next time I am going to boost it a bit. Used Citadelle gin.
over 1 year ago sexyLAMBCHOPx
The recipe calls for 8 oz of gin - not 4 oz.
over 1 year ago Aimless
I have an enormous jug of this again in my refrigerator. This time I cranked up the rosemary, doubled or tripled it, and minced it so the rosemary simple syrup was more potent and assertive. Was more judicious with sweetening too, and got it just right. It has been sustaining me nicely through the rigors of Irene.
over 1 year ago Traci Thomas Peugnet
I agree that Hendricks would have been perfect in this cocktail, though I wish my watermelon were more in season and perhaps sweeter? Tasty enough for one drink and different than my usual G&T
over 1 year ago Traci Thomas Peugnet
I agree that Hendricks would have been perfect in this cocktail, though I wish my watermelon were more in season and perhaps sweeter? Tasty enough for one drink and different than my usual G&T
over 1 year ago sloppyjoe1
Looks fantastic! Perfect summer drink, as is anything with gin!
over 1 year ago Bob Brown
Try my Cactus Margarita:
12 glugs of tequila
8 glugs of ruby red grapefruit juice
8 shakes of hot sauce
over 1 year ago Bob Brown
Try my cactus margarita: 12 glugs of tequila; 8 glugs of ruby red grapefruit juice; and 8 shakes of hot sauce,
over 1 year ago ErikChris
Can this drink be made a day ahead of the party and just store in the fridge till ready to be served, with the lemon and rosemary?
over 1 year ago Bevi
Hi Erik,
I made this last week in a big pitcher, and it stored nicely. I did take the rosemary out of the infused syrup after we drank our fill on Day 1. I would recommend decorating with rosemary sprigs and lemon slices the day of the party if you are making the boozy lemonade in advance. piccantecdolce may have some other advice, though. But it worked for us and there did not seem to be any downgrade in the taste.
over 1 year ago piccantedolce
It's surprisingly lived in my fridge for a couple days and been super yummy.
over 1 year ago Carrie Bertz
This was outstanding!! Thanks for the recipe. I suggest that anyone who has an aversion to gin to try out Hendrick's gin (which fits beautifully in this recipe). It has a more floral/herbal note than juniper/pine.
over 1 year ago piccantedolce
I'm so going to seek out Hendrick's Gin, I'm intrigued now!
11 months ago aalexander
Thanks Carrie! I can't stomach the pine flavor. Have you tried it with any other alcohol?
over 1 year ago rachaelmr
i made this for our summer BBQ last weekend and it was a big hit! it's a keeper, thank you!
over 1 year ago piccantedolce
you're welcome!