This post may include affiliate links.

This watermelon vodka cocktail is a refreshing summer drink! It’s quick and easy to make, pairing sweet watermelon with tangy lime and vodka.

What says summer more than a watermelon vodka cocktail on the patio? This fruit is one of my favorites for making summer drinks, and I’ve have been making all the thirst-quenching watermelon drinks for lazy evenings.

Watermelon is so hydrating and refreshing, and its natural sweetness is perfect for summer cocktails. This cocktail with watermelon and vodka is perfect for parties or evenings on the patio!

Start With Fresh Watermelon Juice

The basis for most of my watermelon drinks is this: watermelon juice! Here’s my method:

Cube the melon. About 2 cups of cubed seedless watermelon yields 1 cup of juice. (See my guide on How to Cut a Watermelon.)
Blend until liquefied. No water, no ice — just fruit, about 30 seconds.
Strain it. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container, pressing gently with a spoon. This removes any “floaties” and you’ll come out with a watermelon juice that’s bright pink and naturally sweet: perfect for making all the watermelon drinks!

How To Make This Watermelon Vodka Cocktail

Making a watermelon vodka drink is as simple as making watermelon juice, then mixing a few ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Here are the main steps:

Make the watermelon juice! Blend 2 cups of cubed watermelon in a blender, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer to obtain 1 cup watermelon juice.
Shake with lime juice, vodka, and simple syrup. In a cocktail shaker, combine the juice with 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, ½ cup vodka and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. I like using a mid-range vodka like Tito’s. Add ice and shake!
Garnish: Pour into glasses and garnish with small watermelon wedges.

Batching This Recipe For a Crowd

Unlike most of our cocktail recipes which are single serving, this recipe makes enough for 2 to 3 watermelon drinks. It’s also easy to double for larger quantities! Since you can get about 16 cups cubed watermelon from a large watermelon, that’s 8 cups of watermelon juice or about 16 drinks! Enough to serve a crowd, for sure.

Tips For the Best Vodka

Alex and I have said it once and we’ll say it again: the quality of your cocktail depends on the alcohol! Find a vodka that’s about mid-price range. You can absolutely taste the difference, even with vodka.

For this watermelon vodka cocktail, I first used a local vodka made by Hotel Tango here in my home city of Indianapolis! If you have local distilleries, buying local vodka is a nice way to support local businesses. You can also use any mid-range vodka like Tito’s.

Sweetener Options: Maple, Honey, Or Agave

The recipe calls for simple syrup, but you can use a variety of sweeteners:

Simple syrup is the classic bar choice: here’s How to Make Simple Syrup, or Mint Simple Syrup for a mojito-adjacent twist.
Maple syrup is also delicious and adds faint caramel and vanilla notes.
Honey can also be used here, though I like maple syrup in cocktails more.
Agave is the most neutral and another great natural sweetener.

Variations To Try

Add fizz. Top each glass with club soda for a fizzy cocktail.
Go herbal. Muddle 3 or 4 mint or basil leaves in the shaker before the ice.
Add heat. A muddled slice of jalapeño works well here.
Salt the rim. Tajín or flaky salt makes a spin on a watermelon margarita.
Make it a mocktail. Skip the vodka and add soda water. See my 15 Easy Mocktail Recipes.

Dietary Notes

This watermelon vodka drink is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, refined sugar free, and naturally sweet.