Watermelonade

When I first moved to Houston last summer, all anyone talked about was the heat. The area was in a drought and it was the worst summer Houston had experienced in years (or so I’ve been told). This summer has been milder and more bearable, but very hot nonetheless. Besides summer dresses and air conditioning, nothing sounds better in the Texas heat than a cold beverage, and this watermelonade is my new favorite.

This simple combination of watermelon and lemon juices is bright, refreshing, and pink—what’s not to love? Some people drink watermelon juice on its own, but I find that it’s too sweet for me. I like throwing in a lemon or two, which adds acidity and tartness to balance things out. Think of it as lemonade that has been sweetened and diluted with fresh watermelon juice instead of sugar and water.

Also, you will notice in the recipe (and in this one) that I like to make juices in small batches. The fresher the juice is, the more vitamins and antioxidants it retains, so I try to make only as much juice as I plan to drink immediately. There’s a lot of great stuff in watermelons and lemons (beta-carotene, vitamin C, etc.), which makes this pretty pink drink good in more ways than one.

Watermelonade

1/4 small watermelon (mine was around 13 pounds)
1 to 2 lemons to taste

Cut the watermelon into wedges, remove the rind, and then cut the wedges into pieces small enough to fit through a juicer. Cut the ends and peels off the lemon(s)–removing all the yellow zest, but keeping the white pith. Run the watermelon and lemon through a juicer. Scrape off any foam and serve chilled over ice.

Makes about 16 to 24 ounces of juice, depending on your fruit.

See more: Fruit • Gluten Free • Juice • Lemon • Vegan • Watermelon