The Key Ingredient Addition For A Balanced Watermelon Cocktail

Since watermelon tends to be a sweet fruit, watermelon cocktails, like our creamy frozen watermelon cocktail recipe, can often taste sweeter, too watermelon-y, and less balanced than other cocktails. Luckily, according to Jayson Goldstein, the Food and Beverage Director at YOTEL Boston's Vela Seaport and Deck 12, there's a key ingredient you can add for a balanced watermelon cocktail. He told us, "I find that adding a little lemon juice to the cocktail tends to bring out the flavor of the watermelon, and it creates a great balance of flavors."

Balancing the sweetness of watermelon cocktails is as simple as incorporating freshly squeezed lemon juice. A little, however, goes a long way. Goldstein added, "...you don't want to use too much fresh lemon juice unless that's the flavor profile you are looking for in your cocktail." Too much lemon juice and the citrusy flavor will overpower watermelon's mild flavor. Start with a splash or a teaspoon of lemon juice at a time and go from there. 

Since lemon juice works to make watermelon cocktails more balanced, other parts of the lemon work too. For example, you can grate fresh lemon zest into the cocktail or add slices of lemon. You can also use a mix, like a little lemon juice, and then garnish the drink with a curly lemon peel or some lemon zest. There's room for creativity here. And as Goldstein pointed out, if you're aiming for a lemony flavor profile, add more lemon juice.

Ready to make a balanced watermelon cocktail? Dive right in with Reese Witherspoon's watermelon margarita recipe, the star of summer cocktails. This is a great place to start as Witherspoon's recipe already includes lime juice. Substitute the lime juice with fresh lemon juice. Alternatively, incorporate lemon slices or wedges in our summery watermelon sangria recipe. Lemon's bright, zesty, and tangy flavors will help balance the sweetness of the other fruits in the sangria. 

As for those of us who don't drink alcohol, consider making balanced watermelon mocktails or other non-alcoholic beverages with a squirt of fresh lemon juice. For example, you can elevate our 2-ingredient watermelon agua fresca, a drink you'll want to sip all summer long, with a squirt of lemon juice. 

Finally, you can take a different approach and work the opposite way. Balance tarty lemon drinks, like lemonade, with watermelon or watermelon juice. For example, instead of using beet juice to make our naturally pink lemonade recipe, use watermelon juice.