Watermelon Palomas

I think we all deserve a drink.

A fun, festive, and summery drink that tastes deliciously refreshing on a hot day.

Sound good?

I’ve got you covered with these watermelon palomas. Sweet, tart, and bursting with fresh citrus and watermelon flavor. They are what I want to sip on all summer long.

And since Memorial Day is absolutely the unofficial start to summer, I figured now was a great time to tell you about them.

The thing I love most about these cocktails (aside from how yum they are) is how easy they are to put together. There’s no simple syrup involved, and you can buy all the juices needed for this. Our grocery store sells watermelon juice, and really high-quality, freshly squeezed citrus juices. Not the “from concentrate” stuff; actual fresh juices. They are key to making cocktails like this one taste great.

So, assuming you buy the juices needed here, all it takes to make these palomas is to mix the juices together with some tequila and a touch of agave nectar for some sweetness…and boom! You’ve got watermelon palomas. And even if you aren’t buying the juices, it doesn’t take too much effort to squeeze a grapefruit and a lime. If you want to make your own watermelon juice too (I have many times – it’s easy!), I give you instructions for that in the recipe below.

If I am squeezing my own citrus, I’ll often batch it. I get out my favorite citrus juicer and juice enough citrus for 4-5 cocktails. I just keep it in the fridge for use as we need it over the course of a few days. It makes cocktails like this super easy to throw together at the last minute, when you’re in dire need of a drink.

It’s also a great party trick when you have multiple people to make happy quickly (hopefully we’ll  be able to do this again soon).

In general, palomas are one of my favorite ways to drink tequila. Margaritas are forever and ever #1 in my heart, but palomas are a close second. They are so, so refreshing, and you can tailor them to your tastes very easily. For instance, I like a tarter/tangier cocktail and Dan prefers something sweeter, so I mix up the base cocktail as written below and then add a little extra lime juice to mine and an extra drizzle of agave nectar to his. Right in the glasses! Super easy.

The pink and vibrant nature of these just puts me in a good mood.

Well, that and the tequila.

Cheers, friends! Happy Memorial Day!

Watermelon Palomas

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 2 cocktails (easily multiplied) 1x

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Description

These Watermelon Palomas are an awesome way to kick-start summer! They’re loaded with fresh citrus and watermelon juices, tequila, and a touch of sweetness thanks to agave nectar. No complicated mixing or simple syrup required here! Just delicious refreshment!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 oz fresh watermelon juice (see NOTE)
• 3 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• Juice of 1 lime (roughly 1 oz)
• 4 oz silver tequila
• 1 oz agave nectar (or more, to taste)
• Seltzer, for topping off the glasses
• Ice
• Salt, for rimming glasses
• Watermelon wedges, for garnish
• Grapefruit or lime slices, for garnish

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Instructions

1. To a large cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the watermelon, grapefruit, and lime juices, along with the tequila and agave nectar.
2. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds or so to thoroughly mix and chill all the ingredients.
3. Taste and add more agave nectar or lime juice, as needed, to meet your tastes (I like a tangier cocktail and my husband likes it a touch sweeter).
4. Rim two tall (highball style) glasses with salt and fill them with ice (the salt is optional – but I love it with anything containing tequila).
5. Pour the mixture over the ice in the two glasses and add a little seltzer to each. Garnish with watermelon wedges and citrus slices, as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can make your own watermelon juice by placing fresh watermelon cubes or chunks into a blender and pureeing on high until completely smooth. You can strain out any pulp, but I find that most watermelon doesn’t yield a lot of pulp and I usually skip this step.
• You can also use store-bought watermelon juice. My favorite brand is this one.

• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: cocktails