We’re celebrating summer with our sweet watermelon strawberry basil cocktail. We took advantage of watermelon bounty and created a drink with watermelon, strawberry, and fresh basil. Ready to make some cocktails?!

Watermelon Strawberry Basil Cocktail

Where are all of my tequila drinkers? And while I’m at it, send the rum drinkers my way too! We’re combining both of these unique spirits to create one super refreshing and beautiful summer cocktail. But that’s just the beginning! And because it’s summertime we’re adding lots of summer flavors!

What You Will Need To Make Our Watermelon Strawberry Basil Cocktail:

Tequila. Most of us only use tequila for two things, doing shots and making margaritas. But tequila is so much more and can be used in a variety of cocktails. Our handcrafted cocktail makes good use of Añejo tequila, but use whatever kind of tequila you have on hand. Want to some variance? Trade in the tequila for mezcal!

Rum. I love rum. I especially love Jamaican dark rum with its characteristic sweetness and citrus notes, and I find it pairs surprisingly well with the Añejo tequila.

Watermelon Pucker. I love watermelon liqueur because it’s dangerous and sweet, adding a bit to your favorite cocktails livens them up and adds lots of summery fruit flavor.

Strawberry Simple Syrup. It’s easy to make or grab a bottle from your local specialty liquor store. No matter how you get your hands on some, you will be glad you did and remember a little goes a long way.

Fresh Lemon Juice. Grab a lemon, roll it back and forth beneath the palm of your hand to loosen the fruit, slice, and using a citrus press, squeeze out this potent sour elixir. Lemon juice brightens up any mixed drink and adds citrusy notes that make a cocktail come alive.

Citrus Bitters. Any good cocktail is a balance between a base spirit and typically both sweet and bitter flavors. Bitters are precisely what the name implies; they’re bitter. But not only are they bitter, but bitters round out the flavor profile of a cocktail by adding botanical notes like bark, fruits, herbs, and roots, etc. In this cocktail, I employ citrus bitters to add a bit of sophistication to this whimsical fruity summer cocktail.

Strawberry Basil Soda. I like using an assortment of sodas in my warm-weather cocktails. Doing so adds fizzy carbonation that gives any cocktail a nice effervescent kick in the pants! We picked up a bottle of Strawberry Basil French Soda from World Market.

Fresh Watermelon, Strawberry & Basil. In my opinion, adding the wrong or correct garnish can make or break a cocktail. The right garnish pulls double-duty. First, it makes a cocktail visually appealing. Second, a garnish will also lend subtle flavor to a cocktail as well. For this light summer drink, we’re using freshly sliced watermelon, ripe strawberries, and aromatic basil.

Where to find Strawberry Basil French Soda?

World market sells this French soda, you could always swap it out with a strawberry soda if you can’t find this at your local grocery store. The idea is to have the bubbly flavor to your cocktail.

Can I use mint in replace of basil?

If you do not want to use basil or can’t get your hands on it, mint is a great alternative. It will still compliment the strawberry nicely.

What if I don’t have a cocktail shaker?

Use a glass or even a mason jar with a lid and shake away. The idea is to really mix up all the ingredients and give it that sweet and tart flavor you want from the cocktail. It blends it altogether nicely.

How do you use citrus bitters?

Citrus bitters is used to brighten up a drink. It adds a nice punch of citrus flavor which can help balance out the sweetness of fruit and punch of the alcohol used. You will find bitters is used a little at a time, as it is pretty strong in flavor. You can add less or more to fit your flavor preference.

Can I buy strawberry syrup instead of making my own?

Absolutely! Feel free to buy your syrup to use to flavor the drink. You will find that the strawberry syrup really sweetens up the cocktail. But it won’t make a huge difference using fresh. You can use leftovers for flavoring any of your favorite drinks!