Watermelon, Lemons, and Coconut: Our Top 3 Summer Drinks

Cool off with three of our favorite summer drinks, super hydrating and perfect for a holiday weekend party or a little solo refreshment time.

Refreshing Drinks for Summer

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the sun has begun to take its time with us, lengthening the days as we move towards summer. More time with the sun naturally means more time outside – and here at PURE we’ve been busy coming up with some refreshing summer drinks to celebrate.

Each of the recipes below features juice (or milk!) from three of our favorite summertime treats: watermelons, lemons, and coconut.

Whether you’re packing for a holiday picnic or beating the heat in the pool, these drinks are the perfect way to enjoy hydration all summer long.

Red, White, and Blue Punch Recipe

Our first delicious offering is a sparkling punch featuring red, white, and blue juice cubes. A beautiful summer party punch without the alcohol!

We make the cubes from PURE pressed watermelon juice and blue spirulina lemonade, as well as coconut milk. It’s easy to freeze the cubes ahead of time, and when it’s time to party, we simply add them to a pitcher of sparkling water. We like to use star-shaped ice molds for a little extra holiday fun.

Ingredients

• lemons
• filtered water
• blue spirulina
• sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey)
• coconut milk
• watermelon (keep rinds for extra nutrients!)
• sparkling water

Instructions

Blue Spirulina Lemonade Cubes

1. Cut lemons into a fan shape.
2. Place 2 to 3 lemons in the center of your liner (no more than 1.5 cups) and sprinkle with blue spirulina. Wrap in liner then wrap in a cloth (or place inside a PURE bag).
3. Press.
4. Wrap and press another one to two times to get all the juice out of the pulp.
5. Mix one cup of juice with 4 cups of filtered water. Stir in sweetener of choice.
6. Pour the blue spirulina lemonade into ice cube trays. Freeze.

Watermelon Juice Cubes

1. Slice watermelon, separating the rind from the meat.
2. Wrap watermelon meat in liner then wrap in a cloth (or PURE bag). Press.
3. Grind watermelon rind, then scoop mash onto press cloth and wrap.
4. Pour watermelon juice into ice cube trays. Freeze.

Coconut Milk Cubes

1. Pour coconut milk into ice cube trays. Freeze.

Note: If you’d like to try homemade coconut milk, consider blending unsweetened coconut flakes with hot water in a blender.

Serve with Sparkling Water

1. Pour sparkling water into a pitcher or punch bowl.
2. Add frozen cubes to pitcher/punch bowl or individual glasses – or both!

Bonus: Red, White, and Blue Frozen Fruit Pops

We love using our leftover juice to make delicious, nutritious popsicles! Layer one juice at a time in a popsicle mold and freeze between layers.

A Note on Juicing Watermelon Rinds

Watermelon rind is known to pack three times as many nutrients as watermelon meat–and we have found juice made from both to be especially delicious.

While the PURE Juicer press is strong enough to press juice out of watermelon rinds, we have found the extra human effort and muscle it takes to fold the rinds before pressing is not especially fun or efficient. If you’re interested in benefitting from the all the extra nutrients packed into watermelon rind, we recommend you grind the rind before pressing.

As you might expect, watermelon rind will give you a bit of a kickback in the grinder, so make sure you’re using the palm of your hand as a cover as you slowly push it through.

Try more of our homemade lemonade recipes

Blue Volcano Milk Recipe

Spirulina is found only in lakes near volcanos, which is how this delicious punch gets its name.

Ingredients

• coconut milk
• blue spirulina
• honey
• lemon slices
• filtered water

Instructions

1. Fill a punch bowl with coconut milk and add in 1tsp blue spirulina.
2. Add lemon slices and honey to taste (agave or maple syrup work as well)

Watermelon Crush Recipe

Watermelon Lemonade

These days we are crushing hard on watermelon lemonade. Our recipe is simple: make cold-pressed lemonade and cold-pressed watermelon juice and mix!

The juice yield of a watermelon is so great you’ll have plenty to share, so consider keeping the watermelon juice and lemonade separate so that guests can mix to taste.

Instructions

1. Slice watermelon, separating the rind from the meat.
2. Wrap watermelon meat in liner then wrap in a cloth (or PURE bag). Press.
3. Grind watermelon rind, then scoop mash onto press cloth and wrap.
4. Cut lemons into a fan shape.
5. Place 2 to 3 lemons in the center of your liner (no more than 1.5 cups).
6. Wrap in liner then wrap in a cloth (or place inside a PURE bag).
7. Press.
8. Wrap and press another one to two times to get all the juice out of the pulp.
9. Mix one cup of lemon juice with 4 cups of filtered water and sweeten to taste.
10. Add watermelon juice.

Why Lemons, Watermelon, and Coconut?

Lemons

We love lemons for their fresh taste and smell.

Lemons are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant.

Watermelons

High in vitamins C and A, watermelons also contain a natural substance called l-citrulline, found especially in the white part of the rind. Watermelons are hydrating and highly satiating.

If you are looking for a natural electrolyte drink, watermelon juice–especially when made with ground watermelon rinds–is ultra hydrating and super refreshing. You can even add it to water to help you stay hydrated in the summer.

Note: Watermelon juice with rinds is slightly less sweet than without; keep this in mind as you experiment with the recipes below!

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is hydrating, creamy, and contains a variety of nutrients.

Which recipe is your favorite? Try them out and find us on Instagram at @purejuicer!

Sources

8 Health Benefits of Watermelon, According to a Nutritionist

Coconut Milk: Health Benefits and Uses

6 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Lemons

10 Health Benefits of Spirulina

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition or take medication.