The 4th of July just isn’t the 4th of July without watermelon! And what’s better than watermelon? A watermelon keg! If you’re never made your own, it’s so darn easy– and it’s such a fun and unique way to serve batch cocktails at summer parties. I like to put them on my summer bar carts to create self-serve drink stations and then use cute cake or beverage stands to prop the kegs up so that guests can easily fit their glasses underneath. If you want to try creating your own DIY watermelon keg for upcoming summer festivities (and I highly recommend that you do!), keep reading. I’m sharing a simple, four-step tutorial on how to make a watermelon keg in today’s post. Scroll down to the how-to card at the bottom of the post for a video tutorial, as well! 

How to Make a Watermelon Keg (in 4 Simple Steps)

Materials

Here’s everything I used to make my DIY watermelon keg–

• Large watermelon– Any old watermelon will do, but it helps if you can find one that already sits up straight without toppling over. Otherwise, you’ll need to shave the bottom or find a wedge (disposable makeup wedges work well) to securely prop it upright. 
• Sharp knife– To cut a clean hole in the top. 
• Ice cream scooper– To scoop out the watermelon “innards”
• Apple corer– I ordered this apple corer off Amazon to help make a perfect (and, more importantly, snug) hole for the spigot. 
• Spigot– I found this affordable push-style spigot on Amazon, and it worked perfectly! Don’t forget to use all the necessary hardware, such as a large o-ring and plastic installation nut, to avoid sticky leakage.
• Cake or beverage stand– To prop up your DIY watermelon keg for easy serving.

DIY Watermelon Keg Tutorial

Without further ado, here’s how to make a watermelon keg in four simple steps–

1. Cut a Hole in the Top

Slice off the top of your watermelon, keeping in mind that the more you slice off, the smaller your DIY watermelon keg will be. This is also the time to check and make sure your watermelon can securely stand up on its own. If it doesn’t (and you’ll be surprised– many seedless watermelons do), carefully shave the bottom to make it lie flat. Try to only cut into the green rind, though, otherwise you’ll have some messy leaks. 

2. Scoop Out the Watermelon

Next, use an ice cream scooper to scoop out the inside of the watermelon. It killed the OCD perfectionist inside me, but it really doesn’t need to be neat or thorough. Just make sure there’s enough room for a delicious watermelon keg batch cocktail. 

Also, just a tip– saving all that fresh watermelon juice will come in handy. I put all the pieces (aka “innards”) in a colander positioned over a large bowl. The fresh watermelon juice drained into the bowl, and after straining it again through a fine mesh strainer, it was perfect for cocktails. You can also watermelon chunks it in a blender and blend until smooth, although I prefer the colander/drain method because you can actually eat the watermelon afterwards. 

3. Install the Spigot

Use an apple corer to cut a snug little hole near the base of the watermelon. You want it to be positioned far enough down that you won’t waste any booze but also high enough that it’s ergonomically-friendly. If you don’t have an apple corer, you can also cut the hole yourself. Just be wary that if the hole is too big, it may cause leaks. 

Next, install the spigot. I ordered this push-style spigot primarily because it had great reviews but also because it came with all the necessary hardware, including a large o-ring and plastic installation nut, to ensure it would stay in place. I inserted the spigot into the hole, used the plastic hardware to secure it in place, and had a leak-proof DIY keg tap at my fingertips. Super simple!

4. Fill Your DIY Watermelon Keg

Finally, this is the fun part! Once your DIY watermelon keg is ready to go, prop it up on a cake or beverage stand so that guests can comfortably get their glasses underneath and fill it with your favorite summer cocktail. My go-to is skinny watermelon margaritas. They’re ultra refreshing and go great in a watermelon keg, primarily because the leftover juice in the bottom of the watermelon only makes them sweeter! Other popular drink options are watermelon punch (basically watermelon juice with vodka or rum), spiked watermelon lemonade, and sangria. Honestly, pretty much any “batch” cocktail that doesn’t need to be shaken or stirred on an individual basis is golden, so get creative!

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How to Make a Watermelon Keg

Yield: 1 watermelon keg

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10

The only thing better than batch watermelon cocktails are batch watermelon cocktails served in a DIY watermelon keg! If you’ve never learned how to make a watermelon keg, it’s incredibly easy and only requires 4 simple steps. Fill yours with skinny watermelon margaritas, watermelon ginger mojitos, or any other refreshing summer cocktails!

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Materials

• Large watermelon (ideally with a flat base)
• Spigot
• Cake or beverage stand

Tools

• Sharp cutting knife
• Ice cream scooper
• Apple corer

Instructions

1. Slice off the top of the watermelon, keeping in mind that the more you slice off, the smaller your DIY watermelon keg will be. This is also the time to check and make sure your watermelon can securely stand up on its own. If it can't, either create a wedge to prop it upright (such as a disposable makeup wedge) or carefully shave the bottom to make it lie flat. Only cut into the green rind, though, otherwise you’ll have serious leakage. 
2. Scoop out of the inside of the watermelon with an ice cream scooper. It doesn’t need to be neat or thorough-- just make sure there’s enough room for a delicious watermelon keg batch cocktail. 
3. Use an apple corer to cut a snug little hole near the base of the watermelon. You want it to be far enough down that you won’t waste any booze but also high enough that it’s ergonomically-friendly. Then, install the spigot, making sure to use all the necessary hardware, such as a large o-ring and plastic installation nut, to secure it in place.
4. Fill your DIY watermelon keg with your favorite batch watermelon cocktail, such as skinny watermelon margaritas or watermelon ginger mojitos. Enjoy responsibly!

Notes

Watermelon Keg Cocktail Ideas

Any batch cocktail that doesn't need to be shaken or stirred often is a great candidate for a watermelon keg. Here are three of my personal favorites--

• Skinny Watermelon Margaritas- My go-to watermelon keg cocktail is skinny watermelon margaritas. They’re ultra refreshing and go great in a watermelon keg, primarily because the leftover juice in the bottom of the watermelon only makes them sweeter!
• Watermelon Mojitos- Watermelon mojitos are a great watermelon keg cocktail! I personally like to add ginger and a bunch of extra mint leaves to mine.
• Spiked Watermelon Lemonade- You really can't go wrong with watermelon juice and lemonade mixed with vodka or rum.

Batch Watermelon Cocktail Ideas

Any batch watermelon cocktail (or any batch cocktail for that matter) that doesn’t need to be shaken or stirred often is a great candidate for a watermelon keg. Here are three of my personal favorites–

• Skinny Watermelon Margaritas– My go-to watermelon keg cocktail is skinny watermelon margaritas. They’re ultra refreshing and go great in a watermelon keg, primarily because the leftover juice in the bottom of the watermelon only makes them sweeter!
• Watermelon Mojitos– Not surprisingly, watermelon mojitos are another great watermelon keg cocktail! I personally like to add ginger and a bunch of extra mint leaves to mine and let them infuse for a while before serving. Recipe coming soon!
• Spiked Watermelon Lemonade– You really can’t go wrong with watermelon juice and lemonade mixed with vodka or rum. I mean, what’s not to love?

 
Well, that’s all I’ve got for y’all today. Thanks so much for reading, and, as always, please let me know if you have any questions about this DIY watermelon keg tutorial or any of my other DIY projects. I love hearing from you guys, and I’m happy to help!

Also, if you have any watermelon cocktail recipe recommendations, I’d love to hear them! I feel like we’ve been devouring watermelons left and right, so we’ve got lots of fresh watermelon juice and nothing to do with it!

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