An easy homemade soda with the flavors of watermelon, cucumber, mint, ginger and lime! A refreshing and delicious way to cool down on a hot day. It's easy to make ahead for larger groups, making it perfect for pool parties and backyard events.
Place 1 cup watermelon, cucumber, lime juice, basil and ginger in a blender. Puree well.
Place into a fine mesh strainer and gently press the solids to release the juice into a bowl.
Return the cucumber liquid to the blender and add the remaining watermelon and blend more. Taste and add simple syrup if desired.
Mix together equal parts watermelon puree and club soda. Serve over ice and garnish with lime squeezes and fresh mint leaves.
Notes
Expert Tips for Watermelon SodaUse fresh lime juice and fresh ginger for best flavor.Peel the cucumbers for the most vibrant pink color in the finished drink. I usually keep peel on when possible for the extra nutrition but I find that the dark green peel on the cucumber dulls the pink color.Choose a seedless watermelon so you don’t have to worry about removing all the seeds.Buy pre-cut watermelon to save the time and mess of chopping up watermelon.If making frozen watermelon drink, freeze your watermelon in a single layer so that you can more easily break it up into chunks for the blender. This simply makes it easier on your blender.Taste before adding simple syrup. Watermelons vary in their sweetness so you may or may not need additional sweetener.How to Make a Frozen Watermelon SodaStep #1: Cut up the cucumber, peel and grate the ginger, gather the mint leaves and squeeze the limes. Step #2: Put everything from step #1 along with ¼ of the watermelon into the blender and blend until smooth. Once it’s well blended, strain it well and place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.Step #3: Cut up the rest of the watermelon and freeze it. The time to freeze may vary and depend on your freezer, but mine freezes watermelon quickly in around 1-2 hours. Of course this is something you can also days in advance. Step #4: Prepare your garnish and have it ready.Step #5: When you're ready to serve place the reserved juice, frozen watermelon and club soda in a blender and blend up your frozen drink. Serve it up with lime squeezes and fresh mint leaves.