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Frozen Watermelon Spritz. Mix simply with chunks of frozen watermelon, Lillet Blanc, and sparkling wine. Blend with ice and finish each drink with sparkling water or ginger beer – your choice! The spicy tajin rim balances the sweet, frozen watermelon. This refreshing summer cocktail will transport you to the south of France. Make the punch version to serve to family and friends! Everyone loves a frozen cocktail with a French vibe.
When I was in the south of France a couple of weeks ago, we ate a lot of delicious food. It was fresh and colorful, and even the simplest salad tasted overly delicious.
I ordered a pastry-wrapped goat cheese salad that I will be recreating soon! But the one thing I noticed to be very abundant in the south of France was the spritz cocktail. The most commonly known to everyone in the States is the Aperol spritz. It’s cute and fun and, of course, delicious. Probably every restaurant there serves them!
The other cocktail we saw a lot of was a Lillet spritz, which we thought was actually better than the Aperol spritz. Essentially, they’re the same cocktail, just with different alcohols. Lillet is made with white wine, while Aperol is a mix of bitters, Prosecco, and soda water.
Both are delicious, however, Lillet seems to be less commonly served here. But in France, it seems to be served everywhere. It’s so cute and fun!
With some inspiration from the classic Lillet spritz, I made a frozen watermelon variation, and wow, it’s so delicious!
Here are the details
Step 1: freeze the watermelon
The night before (or earlier), chop up a watermelon and stash the chunks in the freezer.
I like to line two baking sheets with parchment paper, layer the watermelon cubes, and freeze. Once frozen, I transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer container to save more space in the freezer.
Step 2: rim the glass
Rimming the glass is not something they do in France, but I love a spicy rim. I ran some honey around the rim of my wine glass and then rolled the glass in tajin.
It is SO GOOD with the watermelon, you will love it. I do not recommend skipping this step, plus it’s pretty!
Step 3: blend the drink
Now, to a blender, add those frozen chunks of watermelon and the Lillet. Or, if you prefer, you can use an equal amount of Aperol. They’re both delicious and can easily be used interchangeably within this spritz.
To the Lillet, add Prosecco or sparkling rosé. Add a handful of ice and blend it. Ideally, the consistency should be a little looser than a slushy.
Step 4: add the bubbles
The last ingredient to mix in is either sparkling water or ginger beer to top the drink off. I think both are really great.
If you enjoy a sweeter cocktail, use ginger beer for sure!
The Mocktail
The one thing I found tricky was creating the mocktail variation to this recipe. It’s hard to do since the Lillet is the main ingredient. If you’re looking to make a mocktail, try frozen watermelon mixed with peach or apple juice, then top with ginger beer. Yum! I love this, too!
Either way, you all end up making this, whether it’s with Lillet, Aperol, or alcohol-free. I know you’ll love it!
The mocktail is Asher’s favorite drink right now, and Oslo loves it too – anything with watermelon!!
Looking for other summer drink recipes? Here are some favorites:
Salted Spicy Watermelon Margarita Popsicles
Lastly, if you make this Frozen Watermelon Spritz, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Frozen Watermelon Spritz
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 173 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- honey for the rim
- tajin for the rim
- 3 ounces Lillet Blanc
- 3 ounces sparkling Rosé or Prosecco
- 4 cups frozen cubed watermelon
- 2 ounces sparkling water or ginger beer
Instructions
- 1. The night before, cube the watermelon and freeze overnight. 2. Rim a glass with honey, then dip in Tajin.3. In a blender, combine the Lillet, Rosé/Prosecco, and frozen watermelon. Add a handful of ice and blend until slushy. Add the sparkling water/ginger beer and pulse to mix. Pour into your prepared glass. Add a frozen watermelon slice. Enjoy! To Make a Mocktail: omit the Lillet and Rosé/Prosecco and use 3 ounces peach, pineapple, or white grape juice, with 3 ounces apple cider (not vinegar), frozen watermelon, then ginger beer.
Frozen Watermelon Spritz Punch
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 173 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Lillet Blanc
- 1 bottle (750 ml) sparkling Rosé or Prosecco
- 12 cups cubed frozen watermelon
- 2-3 bottles sparkling water or ginger beer
Instructions
- 1. The night before, cube the watermelon and freeze overnight.2. Rim the glasses in honey, then dip in Tajin.3. Working in batches, combine the Lillet, Rosé/Prosecco, and frozen watermelon. Add 3 cups of ice and blend until slushy. Add the sparkling water/ginger beer and pulse to mix. Pour into your prepared glasses. Add a frozen watermelon slice. Enjoy!
This sounds delicious but it is not a spritz, and a spritz is not French. A spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an apéritif across Italy. It consists of Prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water, and is served over ice. They’re really popular right now all over the world (France and US included!) but give credit to the Italians where credit is due 😉
Tieghan we know that you do not scroll or google so I am sharing this information.
A cocktail known as a spritz has only 3 ingredients…. sparkling wine like prosecco, a bitter liqueur like Aperol and sparkling water.
This is not a spritz.
And before all your fans come at me, the purpose of this comment is to educate a person who is sharing content to 5.5m followers so, in turn, those followers might also know what a “spritz” is. Just give the cocktail another name.
The drink is lovely but I found the watermelon measurements to be odd-4 cups of watermelon for one drink? I doubled the alcohol and divided it into two large glasses but still had leftovers. Am I misunderstanding something?
Hey Jenn,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe!! Did you use cubed watermelon as part of the 4 cups? I guess by the time I blended mine all up it was much less than that. I hope this helps! xx
I used the metric conversion and measured the watermelon by weight.
Tieghan, help! It separated? Made three batches for single glasses and by the time I finished the 3rd, the 1st was separated 🙁 maybe the watermelon wasn’t frozen enough?
The drink is super tasty and I was so excited to try it. Used frozen watermelon chunks, lillet blanc and Prosecco
Great drink.
You seriously need to do something about your comment forum.
Thanks so much, Michelle!
The flavors are quite good! I echo the below comment on ginger beer. I used water and simple syrup as a sub for ginger beer and it worked out just fine!
Hey there,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I subbed sweet vermouth for the lillet and it was still tasty!
So glad to hear your enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Cheers! xx
Do not make the same mistake I did and use ginger beer. That should not be in this. Also adding sparkling beverages and then blending with ice is a complete waste with no payoff.
Tajin is certainly not transporting me to the south of France…
I loved the watermelon spritz. It was wonderful and everyone enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again and love that you call it a watermelon spritz! The tajin was the perfect touch.
Thanks so much, Jackie! Love to hear that this drink turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Cheers! xT
You love that she named the drink something completely different than what it actually is? What an odd thing to say. I don’t think I’ve ever had the thought “I just love what this person named their recipe”, especially if it was incorrect.
Honey and Tajin work so well together! Loved it!
It wasn’t very well balanced (probably needs a bit more acidity) and it’s definitely not a spritz but as a beach libation it’s refreshing and drinkable.
A frozen blended drink is not a spritz?