This low-sugar, watermelon lemonade is the perfect summer drink. It’s light, refreshing and almost too easy to make.

When it comes to first jobs, I think I hit the jackpot. I was an ice cream scooper at a homemade ice cream shop called The Juice Bar. If you’ve ever been to Nantucket, you’re probably familiar with the infamous around-the-block line on a hot August night. I was the almost-too-happy girl behind the counter in the tie-dye shirt, backwards baseball cap asking you if you wanted that in a cup or cone and explaining what the “Green Monster” was (it’s mint chocolate chip cookie dough).

I started scooping at 14 years old and had that job for 7 years. Working in the service industry teaches you so much about work ethic and dealing with other humans, whether they’re customers, co-workers or bosses. I even wrote my college essay about a particularly horrifying customer who taught me a LOT about patience and how to treat others.

Besides incredible ice cream, the Juice Bar also served fresh juice (makes sense based on the name right?). I was a huge carrot apple ginger lover long before Cold Press juices were trendy. I mean I guess you could call me a juice hipster…kidding…kind of. Another one of my favorite creations was our watermelon lemonade. When I used to open in the mornings I’d always cut the watermelon for the day and it was my absolute favorite job. There’s nothing like fresh, juicy watermelon. Combined with sweet tart lemonade? You’ve got yourself the most refreshing drink on the planet.

Watermelon was one of my favorite fruits to juice because there was hardly any waste, unlike carrots and apples which produced so much pulp. Recently I was craving watermelon lemonade so I got to the kitchen to start experimenting. I realized you don’t need a juicer at all. Since watermelon is you know, mostly water, it makes a delicious juice just by blending. This is also great to remember when you get a less than perfect watermelon from the store. Instead of letting it go to waste you can make a delicious juice out of it without needing an expensive juicer. Mega. Win.

For the lemonade part of the watermelon lemonade you can do a couple different variations. I used Bai5 Limu Lemon which is one of my favorite flavors of Bai. It’s only 1g of sugar (sweetened with Stevia & Erythritol) but it’s super tart and flavorful. I used 1 cup of Bai to 2 cups of watermelon and just blended it up and served it over ice. However, if you don’t have any Bai, you can also use the juice of 1/2 a lemon or about 2 tbsp. If you want to make it a bit sweeter add 1 tbsp of honey (or if vegan agave/maple syrup). Another option is to use your favorite store bought lemonade. Also, if you want to take this drink from day to night feel free to add in a shot of vodka or my favorite, tequila. As you can see there are tons of options, one delicious result! Summer+Blender+Watermelon = Limitless Possibilities.

Go crazy.

Your Turn:

• What was your first job?
• Favorite flavor of ice cream?
• What’s your favorite summer fruit? (Literally the hardest question known to man)