Celebrate National Watermelon Day With These NYC Cocktails

Because, in general, the best way to consume anything is in boozy liquid form.

We’ve been seeing some great watermelon-flavored cocktails around NYC. We were putting together a roundup anyhow, then realized that—surprise!—today happens to be National Watermelon Day. So in the most wonderful of coincidences, here’s what—and where—you should drink to celebrate appropriately today.

Watermelon, at The Pool

The Pool is undeniably the hottest restaurant opening of the past month in NYC (not to mention, by far the most luxe), and its whimsically garnished fruit-based cocktails are, in our opinion, the very best part about the entire Pool experience. Their festive Watermelon cocktail leans refreshing and mildly tiki with white rum, shiso, and lime.
Watermelon | Peach | Orange | Grape | Jalapeño #thepool #cocktails #thepoolnyc #seagrambuilding #eater #eeeeeats #draaaaanks #beautifulcuisines #food #foodie #foodpic #foodgasm #foodporn #foodlover #foodies #instafood #yum #yummy #nom #nomnomnom #watermelon #bar #drinks #alcohol #cocktail #cocktailporn #drinks🍹 #cocktailsofinstagram #mixology
A post shared by Brandon R (@brandonr11) on Jul 21, 2017 at 6:45am PDT

Salted watermelon frosé, at Elsa

Recently relocated to Brooklyn from its former East Village location, Elsa carries the ubiquitous frosé in a new direction with their refreshing salted watermelon frosé.
Frozen Salted Watermelon Rosé on back patio. Photo: @hannahbullion
A post shared by Elsa (@elsabarnyc) on Jul 10, 2017 at 12:31pm PDT

The Surfer Girl, at The Happiest Hour

We love The Happiest Hour’s tropical vibes, and this light and herbal cocktail, fusing gin, fresh watermelon juice, honey, lime, and basil, has a beachy feel through and through.
The happiest hour, indeed! Surfer Girl: gin, fresh watermelon juice, honey, lime & basil…or basically summer in a glass 😋 . . . . . #thehappiesthour #happyhour #westvillage #cocktailhour #cocktailtime #gin #ginandjuice #watermelonjuice #drinkthis #fridayfun #summerinthecity #summerinnewyork #martinitime #anotherroundplease
A post shared by Allie Albanese (@aaalbanese) on Jun 23, 2017 at 7:06pm PDT

The Souvenir, at Narcbar

Narcbar is an offshoot of chef John Fraser’s acclaimed vegetable-forward restaurant Narcissa, in the Standard East Village hotel. Two Dram alums, Tonia Guffey and Natasha Torres, are responsible for the bar’s summery cocktails, including the Souvenir, which combines tequila, fresh watermelon juice, Campari, and lime.
📍@narcbar: Khachapuri and 🍉 drinks like The Souvenir (#tequila, fresh #watermelon juice, campari, lime) http://www.grubstreet.com/2017/06/july-food-agenda.html
A post shared by John Fraser (@chefjfraser) on Jul 1, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

Oh My Nola, at Aroqa

Brand-new Aroqa serves flashy, Instagram-friendly, nouveau-Indian fare, and the cocktails are every bit as showy as the food. The savory-sweet Oh My Nola uses watermelon water, pickled watermelon, and Orange County Distillery’s unaged corn whiskey, with a slice of edible pickled watermelon rind as a garnish.
Trying to cool down NYC, one craft cocktail at a time ☀️🔥🍹 . . . #BoozyTalk #craftcocktails #classicocktails #CocktailsAndDreams #summercocktails #cocktailoftheday #liquorgram #drinkstagram #cocktailhour #cocktailphotography #bartendersbible #ImbibeGram #libations #cocktailporn #garnish #mixology #bartender #mixologist #instadrinks #nycdrinks #nomnom #nycrestaurant #nycbars #contemporaryindian #aroqa #aroqanyc #chelseany #heatwave
A post shared by aRoqa (@aroqanyc) on Jul 19, 2017 at 2:39pm PDT

Bubal’eh Cha Cha, at Miss Ada

Herbal and fruity, the Bubal’eh Cha Cha blends watermelon juice, vodka, lemon, and rosemary syrup. The rosemary is grown in Miss Ada’s backyard garden—itself a perfect setting to enjoy this cocktail.
New drinks on deck! Fresh, bright, smooth, balanced, delish 👌#comeandgetit
A post shared by Miss Ada (@missadanyc) on Jul 22, 2017 at 10:39pm PDT

El Sandia, at Tacuba (Astoria)

We love Tacuba so much. We love it for its chapulin (grasshopper) tacos, its awesomely friendly and efficient bartenders… and for its juicy, spicy El Sandia margarita, with tequila, St Germain, jalapeño-infused Contreau, muddled watermelon, and lime.
I mean…
A post shared by Farah (@farahpink) on May 14, 2017 at 10:06am PDT

I Carried a Watermelon, at Casa Publica

Brand-new Mexican spot Casa Publica is already known for its fantastic cocktails, including the 51-ounce I Carried a Watermelon, with tequila, vermouth, watermelon, cucumber, and citrus. Because what’s more festive than a cocktail so large you need to share it with three friends?
Wonderful meeting some of our neighbors, while they sip on one of our large format cocktails ” I Carried A Watermelon” @casapublicabk #tacosareforlovers #brookyn #teamtaco #williamsburg #swayzecrazy #nooneputsbabyinthecorner #day7 #casapublicabk
A post shared by Casa publica BK (@casapublicabk) on Jun 8, 2017 at 10:34pm PDT

About the author

Kathryn Maier

NYC Food & Drink Editor

Kathryn has eaten her way around the globe, seeking out local delicacies in more than 40 countries and counting. After receiving a Master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she began writing about travel, food, and drink, and has held editorial roles at luxury publications including Conde Nast Traveler and the Robb Report. When she's in NYC, she can generally be found on a barstool at one of the city's best cocktail bars or at home sipping fine wine with her cat on her lap.