I hope everyone is having a lovely long weekend and doing something fun to celebrate Labor Day! The official story is that I made this basil watermelon lemonade in honor of Labor Day, but really, it’s my attempt to hold on to summer as long as possible and distract myself from the fact that in 24 hours, I will be standing in front of a room full of students who will inevitably expect me to be all teacher-ly and composed and such, when in reality I feel anything but, since I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to manage teaching four days a week on top of my own full course load.
Anyhow. It’s not too late to enjoy a frosty glass of basil watermelon lemonade (watermelonade?), especially since weather-wise, it’s still summer until mid-September, so go ahead and indulge – this drink is fruity, refreshing, and tangy, with just a hint of aromatic basil! That’s all I’m going to write for now, because I want to go and savor the last few hours before the madness the school year begins!
- 8 cups frozen cubed seedless watermelon
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (plus more leaves for garnish, if desired)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
- For the basil simple syrup: in a small saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium-low until the sugar granules have all dissolved. Remove the pan from the stove and add the chopped basil leaves. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard the basil.
- In a blender, combine watermelon, lemon juice, and basil simple syrup. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and top individual cups with basil leaves for garnish if desired.
- I cut the cubes into thin slices before adding them to the blender to make sure there weren’t any seeds. Alternatively, you can strain the mixture after blending it, but you will also separate out some of the watermelon pulp, which I personally like to incorporate. Although I didn’t have time to do it for this rendition, I also recommend freezing the watermelon cubes for an hour or two before putting them in the blender.
This sounds so refreshing and delicious! Clearly the perfect drink for Labor Day weekend.
Thanks! I hope you had a great holiday weekend 🙂
I had forgotten how large a watermelon is. Too bad we finished (finally) eating ours before this recipe was posted. It would have been a delicious way to use watermelon!
No kidding – the one I cut up was HUGE! You’ll just have to remember this recipe the next time you’ve got a watermelon surplus 🙂
How delicious and refreshing is this lemonade! Loving the combination of both basil and watermelon.. could definitely devour a glass right now.
Thanks! Yes, basil and watermelon go together really nicely – I was pleasantly surprised!
What a refreshing and unique combination! Good luck with your teaching job and it’ll go well. 🙂
Thank you! And I appreciate the well-wishes for teaching 🙂
This lemonade looks so refreshing and delicious! Love the combo of watermelon and basil. Yum!
Thanks! It really is refreshing – it’s going to be 90 degrees here tomorrow, so I’m thinking of mixing up another batch 🙂
This watermelonade looks delicious! The color! Fabulous! I hope you did get to savor those last moments before the school year madness started
Thanks! I do love that color. I hope you had a great long weekend as well!
Totally in love with those flavors and can we talk about how pretty this looks? It’s gorgeous!
Aw, thanks so much! I’m glad it caught your eye 🙂
It’s so delicious and refreshing! And just look at that bright, amazing color! Super! 🙂
Thank you! The color really does pop, doesn’t it? 🙂
This looks incredibly refreshing! I’ll take a pitcher and a sunset to go with it please.
Thanks! That sounds like the recipe for a perfect evening right there 🙂
Love the idea of combining basil with watermelon. 👍
Thanks! They complement each other nicely – I hope you get a chance to try it!
Not only does this sound delicious, but the images are stunning. I colors are so rich and vibrant – I just love it.
Thanks so much! And thanks for stopping by 🙂