A Refreshing Watermelon Batido Is So Easy To Make You'll Sip It All Day Long

Every culture has its go-to drink for scorching hot days. In the southern U.S., we've got homemade sweet iced tea. In China, people reach for a glass of sour plum juice. But across South America, nothing beats a watermelon batido. Despite being one of the most iconic frozen drinks in Latin America, this beverage is made with just chopped watermelon and water.

The name comes from "batir," meaning "to shake" in Spanish, and you can think of it as a kind of fruity smoothie or milkshake: chopped watermelon, water, and maybe even a spoonful of sugar (if you like your drink sweet) are added into a blender, then they're blended together until nice and smooth. That's literally it — this drink has been the companion in countless afternoon siestas across the continent.

But this two-ingredient recipe only scratches the surface of what this drink can be. Try and add a pinch of salt before blending, and you'll find a whole new layer of flavor. It might sound like an odd tip at first, but salt can actually enhance the natural sweetness of watermelon and tamp down its slight bitterness (as well as giving you extra electrolytes). If you're serving watermelon batidos to a party, that's also an awesome garnishing idea: rim your glass with salt à la margarita, and not only is the drink tasty and refreshing, it's also photoshoot material!

If you're already hooked on the "classic" watermelon batido, we've got more where that's coming from. First, there's the watermelon batida — the grown-up, boozy version of the watermelon batido. Instead of running everything through a blender, in a watermelon batida, the watermelon chunks are muddled, then combined with cachaça in a cocktail mixer (regular white rum works, too, if you don't have it on hand). Top it all up with a small drizzle of coconut water, sweetened condensed milk, agave syrup, and a good shake with ice, and you'll have one heck of a summer cocktail that can deliver refreshment alongside a satisfying buzz in equal measure.

Not ready to go full cocktail mode? Not a problem — you can try your hand at making a watermelon limeade. You probably already know where this is going just hearing the name: take all the usual watermelon batido ingredients, then blend them with fresh lime juice, plus a touch of honey to tame the tartness. This sweet-and-sour combination is going to be perfect for those scorching, sweat-soaked days when you just want maximum refreshment (and zero regrets!)