Frozen Drink Recipes

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

Light, pink and summery: frozen watermelon cubes, tequila and lime blended into an easy-drinking margarita slush.

  • 10 min prep
  • 2 drinks
  • Stemless wine or rocks glass
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Watermelon margaritas taste like the last day of summer vacation. They're lighter than most frozen drinks because watermelon is mostly water, which is exactly why freezing the fruit first matters: it keeps the flavor concentrated instead of diluted by ice.

Cube a small seedless watermelon, freeze the pieces on a sheet pan, and you have the base for several rounds.

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

Ingredients (2 drinks)

  • 3 oz blanco tequila
  • 1 oz triple sec
  • 1½ oz fresh lime juice
  • ¾ oz simple syrup
  • 3 cups frozen seedless watermelon cubes
  • ½ cup ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Freeze watermelon cubes in a single layer for at least 3 hours.
  2. Pour the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and syrup into the blender.
  3. Add the frozen watermelon and the ice.
  4. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
  5. Serve in salt- or sugar-rimmed glasses with a small watermelon wedge.

Garnish: Watermelon wedge and a pinch of flaky salt
Glass: Stemless wine or rocks glass

Tips for the best texture

Try a twist

Leave out the tequila and triple sec, add 3 oz of lemonade, and you have a kid-friendly watermelon slush.

Blender, frozen drink maker or slush machine?

These amounts are written for a standard countertop blender. In an ice-shaving frozen drink maker, put the ice in the hopper and the liquids and any fruit in the jar, then run a full cycle. In a home slush machine, which freezes the drink itself, leave out the ice, replace it with about 1 cup of cold water or juice, and pour the mixed liquid into the bowl.