Today I walked into Michael's craft store and almost stopped in my tracks when I saw that Fall decor had taken over! The last measly scraps of summer were thrown to the side on a clearance rack. Fall is my all time favorite season but I have to say I was a little sad thinking about the last of the summer days slipping away. It doesn't feel anything like fall here in Missouri yet and lets face it, it's still July...  but just the idea of the summer ending had me feeling oddly, sad? Confused? I can't really pinpoint it but as one of "those people" who puts Fall decorations up before August is even over... I was conflicted this year for some reason. The Missouri heat and humidity is insane... so I'm guessing in a couple weeks I will be all too happy when summer draws to an end. I think I just wasn't mentally prepared yet. How do you feel about Fall decorations in July? Does it make you happy or are you grasping for all things summer too?

With the shock that summer will soon be ending on my mind, I wanted to make something super summer-y! This refreshing watermelon mojito is just that. I love this recipe! It's light, refreshing, fruity, and just slightly sweet. It's perfect for sipping on a hot summer evening with friends!

Mojitos are a combination of muddled mint leaves, fruit, fresh lime juice, club soda, and normally rum. I did switch this recipe up and used vodka and lime flavored sparkling water. To up the watermelon flavor, I used a watermelon vodka and I also used agave nectar to sweeten it instead of sugar. This cocktail is so pretty. I love the pink from the watermelon. It's pretty much summer in a cup!

To get started, you will want to muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice. This will help release the mint oils. I also strained some cut-up watermelon to get the juice without all of the pulp.

Like I mentioned before, I used agave nectar to sweeten this drink. I used two teaspoons of it and it was perfect. It came out slightly sweet but not too sweet. You can use whatever amount you prefer. You will also want to take into consideration how sweet your watermelon is. If you have a really ripe watermelon that is sweeter, you may not need as much added sweetness.

To keep it easy, I used a regular sized shot glass to measure it all out. Also, it's hard to see in the photos, but I cut up some extra 1 inch chunks of watermelon and put them in the drink. You end up with boozy fruit that is fun to eat!

This recipe yields one cocktail. Below you can find our recipe:

Ingredients:                                                    

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 3 mint leaves plus more for garnish if desired

• 1 shot watermelon vodka (or the alcohol of your choice)

• 2 teaspoons agave nectar

• 1 shot watermelon juice (from 1 cup strained watermelon)

• 3 shots sparkling lime water (I used Dasani Sparking Lime Water)

• watermelon cut into 1 inch chunks to add to the glass and a small watermelon slice for garnish

Directions:

1. Mash up 1 cup of watermelon and push it through a strainer to get 1 shot of watermelon juice, Set aside

2. Add the lime juice to your glass. Tear up 3 mint leaves and muddle them in the bottom of your glass with the lime juice

3. Add the watermelon juice, vodka, and agave nectar to the glass. Stir until the agave nectar is dissolved.

4. Fill your glass with ice

5. Top with the sparking water and gently stir to combine everything.

6. Add a few one inch chunks of watermelon to your glass and garnish with a small slice of watermelon and more mint if desired

7. Enjoy!

If you try out our recipe, let us know what you think! We'd love to hear from you!

Looking for another summer-y cocktail? Try out our Pineapple Margarita recipe... It can be found HERE!

xoxo