Traditional mimosas with a twist, these fresh watermelon mimosas are the perfect summer cocktail. Light, refreshing, and easy to make, your Sunday brunch just got taken to the next level!
I'm fully convinced these are the best variation of any of the mimosa recipes out there. Instead of orange juice, this mimosa recipe is made with homemade, fresh watermelon juice and champagne. It's the perfect summer drink to have to cool down on a hot summer day.
Similar to this grapefruit gin spritz, these mimosas are super easy to make and can be scaled up to serve a crowd! Paired with this watermelon mint salad, you'll have the best summer spread in town.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- You only need 2 ingredients and 5 minutes to make these mimosas.
- Using watermelon as the star, they're the perfect cocktail for summer brunch!
- It's easy to make a large batch for a crowd! You can easily set up a mimosa bar with different juice and garnish options.
- These can easily be made into a mocktail for everyone's enjoyment by simply swapping out the champagne!
Equipment
There's two main pieces of equipment you'll need to make these watermelon cocktails:
- Food Processor or High-speed Blender: this will help juice the watermelon! If you want as little texture as possible as possible, I suggest using a high speed blender over a food processor!
- Fine Mesh Strainer: to separate the juice from any pulp or seeds.
Ingredients
This summer cocktail only calls for 3 ingredients, with the optional addition of agave!
- Watermelon: We'll be using fresh watermelon so we can make homemade watermelon juice! The redder your watermelon, the better and more naturally sweetened these drinks will be. Feel free to use store-bought watermelon juice.
- Champagne: Let's be honest, the champagne is the real star of any good mimosa. Get your favorite! If you're not sure what sparkling wine is vegan, check out this website where you can check to see what brands and products are vegan-friendly.
- Agave: This is totally optional and only necessary if you find that your watermelon isn't giving you enough sweetness.
See recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to pick perfectly ripe watermelons
Few things are better than cutting up a perfectly juicy watermelon. The key to making the most delicious watermelon mimosas is finding a watermelon that is just right and will give these summer drinks a true watermelon taste. Here are my tips on how to find the perfect watermelons:
- Shape: Either oval or round is fine, just watch out for any irregular bumps! It should be uniform in shape.
- Weight: Find a melon that's heavy for its size, as they will usually have more water content and be sweeter.
- Color: Look for dark & dull melons as opposed to light and shiny. Also, look for an orange creamy field spot, or ground spot. The darker yellow the field spot, the longer it's been on the vine which usually mean that watermelon is full of flavor. If the field spot is white, that's a sign of an unripe watermelon.
- Webbing: Larger and longer “webbing” or "sugar spots" is usually the sign of sweet melon.
- Sound: Knock on your watermelon! If it sounds hollow, it's ripe.
Variations & Substitutions
I love this watermelon mimosa recipe as is but here's a few ways you can spice it up!.
- Make frozen mimosas by freezing the watermelon juice in an ice cube tray the night before you want to have the mimosas. The next morning, add your frozen watermelon juice ice cubes and champagne to a blender and blend until frosty yet drinkable. If it's too liquidy, add more ice cubes. If it's too frozen, add some more champagne or unfrozen watermelon juice.
- Feel free to add 1 ounce of triple sec or orange liqueur to take these up a notch.
- Add lime juice, lemon juice, or cucumber to enhance the freshness of these mimosas.
- Muddle some fresh herbs, like a little mint or basil, in the bottom of the glass before adding the watermelon juice and champagne.
- Use a different sparkling wine! You don't have to use brut. Dry prosecco or Cava are both great options.
- Turn this mimosa into a mocktail by replacing champagne with sparkling water, club soda, ginger ale, ginger beer, sparkling lemonade or lemon-lime soda!
This recipe has not been tested with any other substitutions or variations than the ones listed above. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Instructions
It's super easy to make mimosas at home! If you host a brunch and make these, I fully expect an invite.
Step 1: Add cubed watermelon to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. I blended mine for 2 minutes and found this was the perfect amount of time.
Step 2: Place a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and strain the watermelon puree. If it's slowed down quite a bit and there's a lot of pulp in the strainer, gently push it through with the back of a spoon.
Step 3: Add champagne to a champagne flute then top with watermelon juice. Pick the ratio that's perfect for you!
Step 4: Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint sprig or a watermelon wedge and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
If you just need a refreshing cocktail, feel free to enjoy these mimosas on their own whenever. However, like any mimosa, these pair perfectly with brunch foods!
Serve these up on Mother's Day, Easter, at the mimosa bar for a bridal shower, or any summer gathering.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you strain the watermelon juice! There's nothing worse than unexpectedly drinking a big seed or clump of pulp.
- Drink straight away otherwise the watermelon juice will start to separate.
- Don't stir too much, as this will cause the champagne to go flat.
- Chill the watermelon juice before serving. Mimosas don't typically have ice so make sure your ingredients are chilled to ensure these cocktails are as refreshing as possible.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator: I don't recommend storing this cocktail mixed because the champagne or prosecco will go flat. However, you can store the watermelon juice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to drink, give it good stir then just top off with the bubbly of your choice.
Freezer: Just like the refrigerator instructions, I recommend only freezing the watermelon juice. The watermelon juice can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can freeze it one freezer-friendly bag or divide it across an ice cube tray. If you chose to freeze it one container, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before using in your mimosa. Alternatively, add 3-4 watermelon juice ice cubes to a glass and top with some champagne. The cubes will melt over time and continue to add flavor to your cocktail.
FAQ
Yes, feel free to blend and strain the watermelon juice up to 2-3 days prior. Keep it chilled in the fridge until ready to serve!
No! Store bought watermelon juice can definitely be used to get these mimosas made faster. I will say fresh juice typically tastes better though.
I recommend choosing a dry sparkling wine. This could be brut champagne, dry prosecco, or chilled cava. You usually add a sweet juice to mimosas, in our case watermelon, so a dry sparkling wine will help to balance out that sweetness.
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📖 Recipe
Watermelon Mimosas
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ large watermelon cubed (~4-6 cups)
- 1 (750 mL) bottle champagne or prosecco
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) agave optional (only needed if watermelon isn't super ripe)
Instructions
- Add cubed watermelon to a high-speed blend and blend until pureed.½ large watermelon
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and pour the watermelon puree through in order to separate any pulp or seeds from the juice. Use the back of a spoon to help push it through.
- Add agave to the pitcher of watermelon juice and give it a good stir.2 tablespoons agave
- Divide the champagne amongst 4-6 champagne flute and top with watermelon juice. The ratio is totally up to you!1 bottle champagne
- Garnish with a sprig of mint and a watermelon wedge and enjoy!
Lauren says
SO REFRESHING!!! The perfect summer cocktail