A few days ago, I carted home a watermelon and made a watermelon pine nut salad. That was delicious, but I had a problem. There is only one of me. And I had a lot of watermelon leftover.
I was sharing this “problem” at work with my colleague, Owen. And he had a great idea: “Make watermelon lemonade.”
Drink my leftover watermelon? Of course! It made perfect sense. And it will make perfect sense for you, too, because this mocktail is delicious, refreshing, and tastes just like summer. It would have been beyond perfect if I had mint ice cubes. But fresh mint works just fine.
I found a good recipe on SmittenKitchen.com, and just altered it slightly to my liking. Oh my. You will love this and may never eat another watermelon straight up again.
Sparkling Watermelon Lemonade
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/2 cup fresh watermelon puree, strained to remove seeds
3 tablespoons simple syrup*
1 1/2 cups sparkling water
Mint, for garnish (or mint ice cubes)
Mix together and serve over ice. Serves 2.
*To make simple syrup: Simmer 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool.
Kitchen Report 