A Watermelon Rita combines tequila and watermelon in a bright, citrusy and lightly sweet margarita. Make one with the recipe below; when you need a full service rather than a single glass, the keg build scales the same idea without scaling the prep.
How to make a Watermelon Rita
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Tequila
- 1/2 oz Watermelon Syrup
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur
Method
- If you want a rim, run a lime wedge around half the glass and dip it in salt or Tajín. Fill the glass with fresh ice.
- Add the measured ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds.
- Strain over the fresh ice and garnish.
- Taste
- bright, citrusy and lightly sweet
- Glassware
- Rocks glass
- Garnish
- Lime wheel and optional salt or Tajín rim
Conventional recipe adapted from the Draftology keg specification by Craft Standard.
Substitutions
- No watermelon syrup? Replace it with another fruit syrup at the same measure, or make a quick syrup from the matching fresh fruit.
- Use mezcal for a smokier drink, or split the spirit half tequila and half mezcal.
Make a pitcher
- 12 oz Tequila
- 4 oz Watermelon Syrup
- 8 oz (1 cup) fresh lime juice
- 4 oz orange liqueur
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
Want to make it at scale?
Making one Watermelon Rita is straightforward. Making a full service means measuring, chilling and repeating that spec all night. The Craft Standard Margarita keg keeps the same flavor direction, but moves the prep into one keg build so every serve comes from the tap.
See the Margarita keg →The Craft Standard keg build
Start with one Margarita 30L, then add the ingredients below through the Keg Spiker and shake well before connecting the keg.
Recipe styles
Put the Watermelon Rita on tap.
See the Margarita keg behind this build, including formats, setup and ordering details.
See the Margarita keg →Frequently asked
What is in a Watermelon Rita?
1 1/2 oz Tequila, 1/2 oz Watermelon Syrup, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 1/2 oz orange liqueur.
Can I make a batch of Watermelon Rita?
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
How do I serve Watermelon Rita on tap?
Use the Craft Standard Margarita base, add the measured keg ingredients, shake the keg after filling, then connect it to a standard Sankey D coupler.