sour gummy lemonade

made with candied-pickled watermelon rinds and fresh lemon juice

Jul 29, 2025

i’m not usually a drink person. like, if i had to do a “what i drink in a day” diary, let’s just say it wouldn’t be very exciting because, more often than not, it would consist of two simple entries: plain black coffee and cold water. lol. that being said, every once in a while (read: in the summer) beautiful produce and hot temps remind me that i do indeed enjoy whipping up a little batch of a drink base to have in the fridge so i can make a special, refreshing drink whenever i want throughout the week.

call me basic, but one of my favorite summer refreshers is a lemonade that leans more tart than sweet—or maybe even salty. for this recipe, i was sort of inspired by the viral popeye’s pickle lemonade, which i have not tried, but definitely would if i got the chance. i used a half candied, half pickled watermelon rind and its syrup instead of dill pickles and brine for the base, so it’s a little sweet and a lot sour with the added bonus of preciously chewy jewels of watermelon rind that remind me of sour gummy candies, hence the name of the recipe.

the candied-pickled watermelon rind recipe is (yet again) an adaptation from a recipe in natasha pickowicz’s more than cake, where she uses it in place of dried fruit in her terrazzo bread. i like the recipe for many reasons, the most obvious one being that it makes use of something most of us would just throw away or compost. it also tastes really good. the syrup is glossy and thick and the watermelon rind, when candied in this way, has a soft, jelly-like bite and a sweet-sour, pickly flavor. it strikes a great balance and, when simply mixed with fresh lemon juice (i think it would work well with lime juice, too) makes a great base for this refreshing lemonade.

candied-pickled watermelon rind glowing in the summer sunshine

i have the recipe below scaled to make about 500 grams of candied pickled watermelon rinds and syrup, but you can adjust the recipe to make use of however much watermelon rind you might have using the percentages listed. for example, if you have 300 grams of prepared watermelon rind (18% of the total weight in the final product), all you need to do is divide 300 by .18 to get the total weight of 1666 grams. to find the other amounts, multiply 1666 by each percentage you need, so either .27 or .28. if that makes absolutely no sense to you, ignore the percentages and follow the recipe with the ingredients as written—all good!

if you’re thinking what other uses for the candied-pickled watermelon rind and syrup could possibly have, here’s what’s suggested in more than cake: scatter on everything from ice cream to pork chops. lol. personally, i like it drizzled over yogurt and granola. i’m certain the syrup would also be interesting as a sweet-sour addition to various cocktails, but as a “not a drink person”, you’ll just have to think about that and experiment on your own.

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sour gummy lemonade

for the candied-pickled watermelon rind and syrup (about 500 grams, enough for 4 liters of lemonade; keeps for one month in the fridge)

100 grams prepared watermelon rind (18%)

135 milliliters water (27%)

140 milliliters distilled white vinegar (28%; substitute: apple cider vinegar)

135 grams granulated sugar (27%)

for the lemonade base (keeps for one week in the fridge)

250 grams candied-pickled watermelon rind and syrup (please note this is only half of the total made using the ingredients as written above)

200 milliliters freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4-5 lemons)

for a single serving

2-3 tablespoons lemonade base

180 milliliters cold water (still or sparkling)

a few ice cubes, optional

pinch of citric acid, optional

to make the candied-pickled watermelon rind and syrup, first prepare the watermelon rind. cut away most of the flesh and all of the green outer skin of the rind, leaving only pale green rind with some red flesh as in the photo below. dice into even, chickpea-sized cubes and weigh out 100 grams.

add 135 ml water and 140 ml distilled vinegar to a pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. once simmering, add the watermelon rind and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. stir in 135 g granulated sugar and bring back up to a simmer over medium heat. once simmering again, reduce heat to low and cook until the syrup has reduced by about a third and the rind looks candied and translucent, about 40 minutes. let cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
to make the lemonade base, mix 250 g cooled candied-pickled watermelon rind and syrup with 200 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice until well combined; i like to make this in a resealable glass jar and just seal it and shake it to mix. let chill in the fridge for up to a week until ready to use.
to make a glass of sour gummy lemonade, stir the lemonade base well and add 2-3 tablespoons to a glass (with ice, if desired), making sure to get some of the candied-pickled watermelon rind, too. add about 180 ml cold still or sparkling water, stirring well to combine. enjoy as is, or for an extra sour kick, add a tiny pinch of citric acid and stir well to dissolve.