Ingredients
The Ratio
This is the starting point. You will adjust.
Note: These ratios are rough estimates. I always make a batch—about a gallon—then adjust each ingredient until my wife approves. This usually involves adding more lime juice and always adding more rum.
Instructions
- Deal with the watermelon. Cut the watermelon and separate the flesh from the rind. You don't need to be precise here—chunks, wedges, whatever. It's all going in a food processor. Remove any seeds if it's a seeded watermelon. (Seedless is easier, obviously.)
- Extract the juice. Add the watermelon chunks to a food processor or blender and blitz until it's liquified. Work in batches if you have a lot. You're turning solid watermelon into watermelon slush.
- Filter the juice. This step is very important—it's what makes the drink smooth instead of pulpy. Pour the blended watermelon through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl or pitcher. Press or squeeze to get all the juice out. Discard the pulp (or eat it, I don't care, but it doesn't go in the drink).
- Juice the limes. Cut your limes in half and juice them with a citrus juicer. Filter the lime juice the same way—through a fine strainer to catch any pulp or seeds. You want smooth, not chunky.
- Make sure your simple syrup is cool. If you just made it, let it cool down or stick it in the fridge. Hot syrup in a cold drink is amateur hour. Here's how to make simple syrup if you skipped that part.
- Combine everything. In a large pitcher or drink dispenser, combine the rum, watermelon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup using the ratio above. For a gallon batch, that's roughly:
- ~5½ cups rum
- ~5½ cups watermelon juice
- ~2½ cups lime juice
- ~2½ cups simple syrup
- Taste and adjust. This is critical. Take a sip. Too strong? Add more watermelon juice or a splash of club soda. Too sweet? More lime juice. Not sweet enough? More simple syrup. Not strong enough? More rum. Keep adjusting until it tastes right to you (or until your spouse approves—that's the real test).
- Serve with mint. Fill glasses with ice. Pour the mojito over. Now here's the trick with the mint: take a few leaves, put them in one palm, and smack them with your other hand. This bruises the mint and releases the oils without shredding it. Drop the smacked mint into the glass. Fancy? Add a straw.
If You Want to Be Fancy
- Watermelon garnish: Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to make a ball of watermelon. Cut a small slice halfway through it and slide it onto the rim of the glass. Looks impressive. Takes 10 seconds.
- Go full send: Cut the top off the watermelon. Hollow out the entire thing (juice going into your mojitos, obviously). Poke a hole near the bottom and install a beverage tap. You now have a watermelon drink dispenser. Is this necessary? No. Is it the move for a summer party? Absolutely.
Notes
- On the watermelon juice: Do not, under any circumstances, use pre-bottled "watermelon juice" from the store. It all tastes like artificial bubblegum. Fresh watermelon juice tastes like actual summer. There is no substitute.
- On the lime juice: Fresh is better. Store-bought works if you're in a pinch, but it has that mild preservative taste. Your call on how lazy you're feeling.
- On the club soda: Totally optional. Only add it if you want to stretch the batch further or if the rum is too aggressive for your taste. No judgment. Okay, a little judgment.
- On the ratio: These are guidelines, not laws. Every watermelon is different—some are sweeter, some are more watery. Taste and adjust. That's how cocktails work.