No. 80Off the Menu
Watermelon Pickle Smash
Watermelon, mint and jalapeño, smashed with salt and lime.
The Watermelon Pickle Smash is a zero-proof cooler of muddled watermelon, mint and jalapeño shaken with lime and dill pickle brine, then poured over crushed ice with a splash of soda. Watermelon and salt are an old pairing, and the brine does the salting here. It tastes juicy, cool and gently hot.
Zero proofUpdated
Brine2/52 of 5
Heat2/52 of 5
StrengthZero proof
- Glass
- rocks glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 drink
Ingredients
Make it for
Units
Amounts for 1, in ounces.
- 1 cup seedless watermelon (cubed)
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 2 slices jalapeño (seeds out for less heat)
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz dill pickle brine (chilled, from the jar)
- ¼ oz simple syrup (only if the melon isn’t very sweet) optional
- 2 oz club soda (chilled)
- 1 sprig fresh mint (for garnish)
- Glass
- rocks glass
- Garnish
- jalapeño and mint sprig
How to make it
- Muddle the watermelon, mint leaves and jalapeño in a shaker until the melon is juicy.
- Add the lime juice, pickle brine and simple syrup, if using.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake for about 10 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.
- Top with the club soda.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a jalapeño slice.
Bar tips
- Taste the melon first. A ripe summer watermelon needs no syrup at all.
- Strain through a regular strainer, not a fine one. A little pulp is the point of a smash.
Make it your own
- Leave out the jalapeño for a cool, no-heat version.
- Add 1.5 oz blanco tequila for a boozy watermelon smash.
Zero proof, full brine. No spirits, wine or beer in this one. If you need 0.0%, check the labels on any non-alcoholic bottles you use.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/watermelon-pickle-smash
