Reese Witherspoon’s Watermelon Margarita Is So Delicious, I’m Definitely Making It for the Fourth of July

Reese Witherspoon is known for her acting chops, thriving online book club, and successful media company, but apparently the woman also knows her stuff when it comes to making a cocktail. Witherspoon shared on her Instagram a recipe for her favorite watermelon mint margarita, and it looks like the perfect refreshing cocktail we need this summer. So does it live up to the hype that this actress is giving this drink? We decided to give it a try and see if it’s worth pulling out the recipe for our summer barbecues this year.

Add cubed watermelon to a blender and blend until the fruit has been pureed.

In a cocktail shaker, add the pureed watermelon with tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, and mint. Toss in ice cubes, then seal and shake the drink for at least 15 or 20 seconds, or until the cocktail shaker is very cold to touch on the outside.

Fill a short drinking tumbler with ice. Strain the margarita into the glass, then garnish with a slice of watermelon and lime.

This drink was exactly what I hoped for from a watermelon margarita recipe. It was refreshing, tasty, light, and the kind of thing I would want to sip on when it’s the summertime. The taste of this margarita is exactly what I would envision a bright summer day to taste like: fresh watermelon and mint with freshly squeezed lime juice. The tequila is not too overpowering, making this drink very drinkable. Perfect for summer happy hours or barbecues.

However, while I did enjoy this margarita, I do have two small edits to the recipe that I think would very much enhance this dish. Because this is a margarita, I think adding in at least 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce of orange liqueur, like Triple Sec or Cointreau, would elevate this drink significantly. This would also mean decreasing the amount of agave nectar in each cocktail, given that the orange liqueur and the fresh fruit will help sweeten it enough already.

Otherwise, I would highly recommend shaking up this drink this summer, and can whole-heartedly agree that Witherspoon knew what she was doing when dreaming up this one.