Festive Watermelon, Mint & Lime Spritzers

I truly love summer. 

It’s my season.

I hold on to every drop of sunlight, every moment of warmth, every chance to eat or drink outdoors, every open window, every crisp morning walk. I just love it all.

What better way to make summer last just a little longer than a refreshing non-alcoholic Dr. Katie Detox-friendly drink?

First, you gotta get set up with some cool glasses and giant ice cubes. I like these cubes made by Peak because they were easiest to fill (but truth be told, we bought new glasses to fit these cubes!), but you could use these spheres made by Tovolo if you have typical-sized glasses. We have both in our freezer ready to go at all times. You could certainly use smaller ice cube trays as well, but the big ones are just so much neater.

I also recommend buying a citrus squeezer. This little kitchen helper is so useful! I squeeze lemon and lime in everything from making salad dressings to my mango salsa recipe. 

How do you buy a good watermelon?

Here are a few tips:

• Look for a “field spot” – an area on the watermelon that is golden yellow, so you know the watermelon was ripened on the vine in the sun. If the spot is absent or white, it means the watermelon was picked too soon.

• Lift it up - choose a watermelon that is heavy for it’s size

• Look at the color – a ripe watermelon should be dark green and dull. A shiny watermelon will usually be under ripe.

• Sniff the stem end – it should smell sweet

And you should store your watermelon (even whole) in the refrigerator. 

I encourage you to experiment with other fruit combinations as well. Watermelon was easiest for me because its mostly water and we tend to buy it in big quantities but have trouble eating the whole thing. If you use other fruits like berries, I would add water to thin it out.

Makes 4 giant ice cubes

Ingredients

4 cups of cubed watermelon

Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Sparkling water (I’m partial to Pellegrino since it’s naturally sparkling, but we love our Soda Stream too, and it’s more environmentally friendly)

Directions

1.    Puree watermelon and lime juice in a blender.

2.    Place a few mint leaves in each ice mold tray. Pour puree into mold. Place in freezer carefully!

3.    Put watermelon ice cube into glass and top with seltzer. Add mint leaves for garnish.

Enjoy!