Watermelon Basil Mezcal Margarita Recipe

Doug & Lana from Gardenuity

The Gardenuity team is always looking for fresh ways to enjoy a good harvest. From cocktails to mocktails, to pizza toppings and pesto, using fresh ingredients harvested right from your patio garden is the perfect way bring your favorite recipe up a notch.

Doug Platts and Lana Constantine, two Gardenuity leaders, chose to make a watermelon-basil mezcal margarita this week for our cocktail series. Their love of this drink stems from its combination of sweet and spicy, and not to mention pairs perfectly with anything that comes off the grill.

Watermelon – Basil Mezcal Margarita

Recipe by Gardenuity

Recipe rating: N/A

Course: DrinksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

This Watermelon – Basil Mezcal Margarita Recipe is a beautiful pair of spicy & sweet.

Ingredients

2 cubes of watermelon
1-ounce watermelon juice
2 basil leaves
1 small sliced red or orange habanero pepper
¾ ounce lime juice
¾ ounce of habanero simple syrup
1 ½ ounces mezcal
Lime wedges
Pinch of salt

Directions

Making The Margarita
Start by grabbing a mason jar! Add in a single cube of watermelon, an ounce of watermelon juice, and two basil leaves.
Then add a slice of habanero, a pinch of salt, and three-quarters of an ounce of lime juice. Next add three-quarters of an ounce of habanero simple syrup, an ounce and a half of mezcal, and ice.
Then put syrup into the glass jar. Give your mason jar a really good shake and strain it into your glass.
Finally, add in your lime wedge and enjoy!
Making The Habanero Simple Syrup
To make-bring water to a boil in a saucepan and slowly stir in one cup of white sugar until dissolved. Add in two habanero peppers to mixture, reduce heat, and let simmer until syrup is thickened and pepper has slightly colored the syrup.
Remove saucepan from heat, let syrup cool and remove peppers.