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Watermelon Slush is the frosty, fruity blender cocktail that tastes like summer in a glass, with fresh watermelon, a splash of vodka, and a sour-sweet candy kick. I blended a pitcher for a backyard hangout and the grownups could not get enough of that sugared rim. If you love an icy summer sipper, you will also love our strawberry limoncello slush.
The secret is soaking Sour Patch watermelon candies in the vodka overnight for an extra burst of flavor.
Watermelon Slush Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 264kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, tart, and frosty with juicy watermelon and a sour candy kick
- ✋ Difficulty: Very easy, soak, blend, and serve, like our strawberry limoncello slush
Quick Answer
Soak Sour Patch watermelon candies in vodka overnight, then remove the candies and save them for garnish. Add cubed fresh watermelon, the candy-soaked vodka, Sprite, lemonade, and ice to a blender (plus pink food coloring if you like) and blend until smooth and slushy. Rim your glasses with lime and pink sprinkles or sugar, pour in the slush, and garnish with lime and the soaked candies. Serve immediately while frosty.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Candy-soaked vodka adds a flavor twist. Soaking Sour Patch watermelons in the vodka overnight infuses it with sweet-tart watermelon flavor you cannot get otherwise.
- Fresh watermelon is the base. Real watermelon blended with ice makes the drink naturally fruity and frosty.
- Sprite and lemonade balance it. A little lemon-lime soda and lemonade add fizz, sweetness, and bright citrus.
- The sugared rim is a built-in treat. A lime-and-sprinkle rim adds a festive look and a sweet first sip.
- It is blender-easy. Beyond the overnight soak, the whole drink comes together in one quick blend.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a fun, frosty cocktail that comes together in one blender.
- The vodka-soaked Sour Patch candies make it extra flavorful and fun to garnish.
- It is the perfect summer party drink, right alongside our strawberry wine slushies.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this watermelon slush so fun. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Fresh watermelon: Cubed ripe watermelon is the fruity base that makes it taste like summer.
- Vodka: A cup of vodka makes it a cocktail. Soak the candies in it overnight for extra flavor.
- Sour Patch watermelons: These candies infuse the vodka with sweet-tart watermelon flavor and double as a garnish.
- Sprite and lemonade: Add fizz, sweetness, and bright citrus to balance the drink.
- Ice and pink sprinkles: Ice blends it to slushy perfection, and a sugared rim makes it party-ready.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This watermelon slush is easy to make your own. Here are a few ideas.
- Make it non-alcoholic: Leave out the vodka and add more lemonade or watermelon juice for a kid-friendly slush.
- Swap the spirit: Try white rum or tequila in place of vodka.
- Add more fruit: Blend in strawberries or a squeeze of lime for extra fruitiness.
- Frozen watermelon: Use frozen watermelon cubes and less ice for an even thicker slush.
- For another frozen cocktail, try our strawberry wine slushies.
How to Make Watermelon Slush
- Soak the candy. Soak the Sour Patch watermelon candies in the vodka overnight.
- Remove the candy. Take the soaked candies out of the vodka and save them for garnish.
- Blend the slush. Add the cubed watermelon, candy-soaked vodka, Sprite, lemonade, ice, and pink food coloring (if using) to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Rim the glasses. Rub a lime around the rim of each glass, then dip the rim into pink sprinkles or granulated sugar.
- Pour and garnish. Pour the slush into the glasses and garnish with lime slices and the vodka-soaked candies.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy right away while it is frosty and cold.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soak the candy ahead. Overnight gives the vodka the most watermelon flavor, so plan for it.
- Use ripe, sweet watermelon. The riper the melon, the better the slush tastes.
- Freeze the watermelon for an extra-thick slush with less ice dilution.
- Rim before pouring. Sugar the glasses first so you do not get drips on the rim.
- Blend to your texture. Add more ice for thicker slush or less for a pourable cocktail.
- Serve right away. Slushies melt fast, so blend just before serving.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This watermelon slush is the ultimate warm-weather party drink. Serve it at backyard barbecues, pool parties, and summer get-togethers, blending up batches as guests arrive so each glass is perfectly frosty.
Set up a fun drink station with a few frozen cocktails. It is right at home next to our strawberry limoncello slush and frosted lemonade for the non-drinkers. Add a platter of fresh watermelon wedges on the side.
These are best enjoyed fresh, but you can blend the mixture and freeze it, then re-blend or stir before serving. For a make-ahead crowd batch, keep the candy-soaked vodka ready in the fridge and blend with the other ingredients to order. Please enjoy responsibly.
To turn it into a full party bar, set out the rimming station with a saucer of lime juice and bowls of pink sprinkles and colored sugar so guests can rim their own glasses. Skewer extra vodka-soaked candies on cocktail picks for garnish, and keep a pitcher of the non-alcoholic version on hand so everyone, including the kids, has a frosty watermelon drink to sip.
Watermelon Slush FAQs
Yes. Simply leave out the vodka and skip the soaking step, adding a little extra lemonade or watermelon juice instead. You will get a refreshing non-alcoholic watermelon slush that kids and adults can both enjoy.
Soaking the Sour Patch watermelons overnight gives the vodka the best flavor, but if you are short on time, a few hours will still infuse it. In a pinch, you can skip it and just use the candies as a garnish.
Absolutely. Frozen watermelon cubes make an even thicker, frostier slush and let you use less ice so the drink is not watered down.
Vodka is classic and lets the watermelon shine, but white rum gives it a tropical feel and tequila makes it taste like a watermelon margarita. Use the same amount, and for the soaking step any clear spirit will pick up that sweet-tart candy flavor beautifully.
Soak a larger amount of candy in vodka ahead, then blend in batches since most blenders cannot hold a huge volume of ice at once. Keep the soaked vodka chilled and blend to order so each round stays slushy.
It usually means too much ice melted or the watermelon was very juicy. Use frozen watermelon, blend just before serving, and add ice gradually until you reach a thick, scoopable slush.
Thirsty for more? Blend up our strawberry limoncello slush next.
Watermelon Slush
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Sour Patch Watermelons
- 1 cup Vodka
- 1 cup Watermelon small cubed
- 1 cup Sprite
- 1 cup Lemonade
- 1 cup Ice
- Slices of lime
- Pink sprinkles or granultaed sugar
Instructions
- Soak the Sour Patch Watermelons in the vodka overnight.1/4 cup Sour Patch Watermelons, 1 cup Vodka
- After the Sour Patch Watermelons have soaked, remove them from the vodka and save them for garnishes.
- Add the cubed watermelon, Sour Patch Watermelon-soaked vodka, sprite, lemonade, ice, and pink food coloring (if using) to a blender. Blend until everything is incorporated.1 cup Watermelon, 1 cup Sprite, 1 cup Lemonade, 1 cup Ice
- Using the lime, rim the glasses. With your glass upside-down, dip the rim in pink sprinkles (or into granulated sugar).Slices of lime, Pink sprinkles
- Pour the slushy drink into your glass and garnish with limes, or spear a couple of the vodka-soaked Sour Patch Watermelon candies. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To ensure that the slushies are extra cold, you can chop up the watermelon and freeze the chunks well in advance of this recipe (be sure to remove the seeds, first). While you’re at it, freeze your glasses, too!
- Add the candy to vodka before you go to bed so it infuses while you sleep. Alternatively, you can put them together first thing in the morning to enjoy your beverage later that evening.
- If you’d like your vodka to be extra sweet, then feel free to double the amount of candy in this recipe.
Nutrition
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