Captain Morgan’s new watermelon rum is here in time for summer cocktails

While the thought of summer might bring about visions of sunshine and barbecues, there’s another glorious thing that always comes with the season: new drinks to sip by the pool! We’ve already seen a new rosé cider from Angry Orchard, and now Captain Morgan is getting in on the action with a new flavored rum, just in time to have us daydreaming of warm weather.

Although drinking rum does a perfectly good job of capturing the tastes of summer all on its own, Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash rum promises to blend the taste of Caribbean rum with the flavor of watermelon, which is basically the perfect summer fruit. The company has said that this limited-edition rum is so flavorful that even the bottle smells like watermelon!

According to Delish, the drink does, in fact, taste like watermelon—”Watermelon Jolly Ranchers,” to be specific. As someone who has tried soaking gummy bears and Jolly Ranchers in vodka, I’ll take 12 bottles please!

In case you were wondering how much alcohol could be packed into such a fruity, sweet concoction, Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash contains 25 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), or 50 proof. That’s less powerful than the brand’s Original Spiced Rum, which contains 35 percent ABV, or 70 proof.

Captain Morgan recommends enjoying its Watermelon Smash all on its own as a shot, or in a spritzer by mixing it with club soda and a lemon garnish. You could also add mint for the ultimate summer refresher!

And now need to wait until summer is officially underway: Watermelon Smash is in stores now and retails for about $15.99.

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The company even provided recipes on its website, like the Watermelon Mojito, which combines the watermelon-flavored rum with white rum, lime juice, syrup, club soda and mint.

In other words, it’s definitely time for me to invest in a pool — and a lot of spirits.

Not a watermelon fan? Captain Morgan also offers other flavors of rum that are perfect for summer, like grapefruit, pineapple, coconut and Loconut, which is a blend of Caribbean rum, coconut liqueur and spice.

And if you’re looking for a delicious summer drink that doesn’t include rum, but is full of watermelon, look no further than watermelon champagne. The drink consists of blended watermelon or watermelon juice and champagne, but you can customize it however you like. Here’s a delicious-looking recipe for Watermelon Agua Fresca Mimosas from Diane Abroad.

Will you be trying the new Watermelon Smash rum — or are you a purist when it comes to your liquor?

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