REFRESHING Watermelon Margaritas

Watermelon margaritas are a delicious summer cocktail that are refreshing and thirst quenching. Made with frozen watermelon chunks, lime, tequila, triple sec and ice cubes, these cocktails come together quickly and are cooling and delicious. Make the most of the summer weather and seasonal fruit with this delicious drink!

Watermelon Margaritas are the best party cocktail drink to serve. Try this version of both a regular and a frozen Watermelon Margarita! Just add all ingredients to a blender or Thermomix and just before you want to serve them, add crushed ice and the frozen watermelon! Truly there is nothing more festive or happy than a tray of these margaritas coming towards you.

Tips For Making Watermelon Margaritas

1 - Keep watermelon cubes in the freezer ready to make this at a moment's notice even after summer finishes. Buy watermelon when in season as frozen watermelon chunks can last from 9-12 months in the freezer.

2 - Margaritas use tequila as well as triple sec and lime juice. If you don't have triple sec you can also use Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

3 - You can make this with or without a salt flake rim. I prefer them without the salt rim but some like them with. Just go light on the salt flakes.

4 - I decorate these watermelon margaritas with a wedge of watermelon, a slice of lime and a cocktail umbrella.

My very own fruit bat Mr NQN absolutely loves these watermelon margaritas and no it's not just because of the alcohol. When I was testing them he happily drank them all because the days that I tested these were all very hot days during summer. Nobody believes me when I tell them how much he loves fruit. He will forego dinner with a massive platter of fruit if I let him. I mean nobody loves fruit as much as he does - well maybe a baby hippo but I swear no human loves fruit more than him.

Last weekend we went to a farewell party for Monica and Marco. They're both moving back to Italy and I am devastated about it but trying to remain positive as my food twin moves to the other end of the world. They had a party at a bar and had all of the food catered by a Laotian caterer. Plates of delicious sausages, noodles, curries, fried chicken and salads lined a table and everyone enjoyed all of the food. There was a lot of it and Monica told me to pack some up to take home with me because she had over catered (again the food twin thing).

Mr NQN was happily eating the salads but then Monica announced that the mango sticky rice and fruit plates were coming up. Like a cartoon he speedily shovelled all of the food on his plate in a fast scooping motion that the people around us starting laughing. "You like dessert huh?" one guy remarked. Mr NQN grinned and was first in line for the fruit plate and mango with sticky rice and once everyone had had some, he went back for seconds (while I went back for seconds of the fried chicken!).

So tell me Dear Reader, are you a fruit person? What are you first in line for? Savoury or sweet?

Watermelon Margaritas

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Makes 2 cocktails

• 2 tablespoons flaked salt
• 250g/8.8ozs watermelon chunks, frozen
• 60ml/2flozs tequila
• 30ml/1floz triple sec or Grand Marnier
• 20ml/0.7flozs lime juice plus half a lime for rim
• 180g/6ozs crushed ice
• 30ml/1floz sugar syrup (optional but recommended)

Step 1 - Rub lime against the rim of margarita glasses. Place salt in a shallow plate and run along the lime juice (go light on the salt).

Step 2 - Place the watermelon chunks, tequila, triple sec or Grand Marnier, lime juice, crushed ice and sugar syrup in a high speed blender and whizz until smooth. Thermomix: set to 10 seconds, speed #9. Pour into glasses and serve. Add a slice of lime and a wedge of watermelon onto the rim too or even a cocktail umbrella!