Watermelon mocktails: fruit, herb and mixer variations

Can you make a watermelon mocktail with Sprite?

Yes. Sprite takes the place of the sparkling mixer. The standard watermelon mocktail is watermelon juice or purée with lime and a herb, usually mint, topped with something fizzy. The recipes below use club soda, soda water or kombucha. To use Sprite instead, make the watermelon base the same way and pour the Sprite in last, exactly where the club soda would go.

Club soda is unflavored. Sprite is a sweetened lemon-lime soda, so it adds sugar and citrus flavor that the original recipes did not plan for. Taste the drink as you add the Sprite rather than pouring in the full amount at once. Check the can or bottle label if anyone needs to know the exact ingredients.

Three documented ways to prepare the watermelon

Most of the variation between watermelon mocktails comes from how the fruit is handled. You can muddle it fresh, blend and strain it into juice, or blend it frozen into a slush. Choose the method first, then choose the herb and the mixer.

Shaken single serving

Mindful Mocktail's version uses 1 cup diced watermelon, 1 oz lime juice, 10 mint leaves and ½ cup soda water or kombucha. A splash of apple cider vinegar is optional.

• Muddle the watermelon with the lime juice in a shaker.
• Add the mint and ice, then shake.
• Strain over fresh ice.
• Top with the mixer. Sprite would be added at this step.

The same source also gives a blender alternative. Blend the watermelon, lime and mint, strain the mixture, then add the mixer. If you start with frozen watermelon, the author says to thaw it first for both methods.

Blended pitcher-style batch with soda

Keeping the Peas makes four glasses from 3 cups seedless watermelon, ¼ cup lime juice, 2 cups club soda and 8 mint sprigs.

• Blend the watermelon with the lime juice and strain it.
• Muddle five mint leaves in each glass.
• Add ice, then the watermelon juice.
• Top with club soda.
• Keep some mint and watermelon aside for garnish.

Example of doubling the recipe for eight servings: 6 cups watermelon, ½ cup lime juice, 4 cups club soda and 16 mint sprigs. If you use Sprite instead of club soda, the soda quantity is the part to adjust by taste.

Frozen slush without soda or mint

Ali Martin's frozen watermelon lime mocktail fits two common requests at once: no soda and no mint. Blend 4 cups frozen watermelon cubes with the juice of 2 limes and 1 cup water. Add more water if the blender needs it to move. This recipe blends the fruit while it is still frozen, which is the opposite of the thawed-fruit approach above.

To freeze the watermelon, cut it into roughly 1-inch cubes and spread them in a single layer on parchment. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Herb swaps: mint, basil or none

Mint is the default herb in the shaken and blended recipes. Cook at Home Mom serves a mint-and-lime watermelon drink and suggests basil, cucumber, orange juice and strawberries as optional variations. No quantities are given for these additions. For a watermelon basil mocktail, use basil in place of the mint and adjust the amount to taste. For a drink with no herb at all, the frozen slush above already leaves it out.

Choosing the mixer

• Club soda or soda water: unflavored fizz, used in the shaken and four-glass recipes.
• Sprite or another lemon-lime soda: adds sweetness and citrus; add it gradually in place of club soda.
• Kombucha: the alternative Mindful Mocktail lists alongside soda water.
• Water: for a still drink, as in the frozen slush.

Before serving any bottled mixer, read its ingredient list. For kombucha, also check the label for any alcohol-content statement, especially if the drink must be completely alcohol-free.