It’s coming on to summer here in the land down under and temperature is climbing up to a balmy 26°. To celebrate the occasion, I’ve finally put away my dark winter clothes and brought out my pastel summer outfits hoping I can still squeeze into them after the long lockdowns that we had. In my local fruit shop, the summer fruits, like mangoes and rockmelons (as we call cantaloupes over here) have also made an appearance.
I have fond memories of eating sun ripened melons in my fathers farm when I was young. My dad had the sweetest melons and honeydews which we harvested at the start of summer. Am I just imagining that the melons were sweeter before? Either that, or my taste buds have changed. What hasn’t changed is my fondness for fruit based coolers like this thirst quenching cantaloupe melon drink.
I make my melon juice by coarsely grating half of the rockmelon, and the other half I use a baller to make melon balls. I think the little balls make a great surprise addition to the drink . I have also, on occasion added a splash of gin, but that’s just between you and me.
What you need to make this cantaloupe melon drink ..
- Cantaloupe Melon – Also known as musk melon and rockmelon here in Oz. They have a bright orange flesh with a hard rind. To select a ripe melon, choose one which feels firm and not too soft and should have a good melon smell. It is very important to wash melon thoroughly before use. This is because rockmelons have thin porous skin, and bacteria have been known to leach from the soil.
- Sugar Syrup- A simple sugar syrup is 1 part sugar to 1 part water and simmered just until the sugar dissolves. This is handy to have in the fridge in summer for cocktails and other drinks. Store leftover in the fridge. A teaspoon of vodka maybe added if you want to keep the sugar syrup for longer.
- Lemon- A bit of lemon actually enhances the melon flavour
- Lots of Ice and Cold Water
- A melon baller if you want melon balls, optional.
How to make it…
- Cut melon into two. Scoop out melon balls from one half.
- Use shredder to shred half of the melon
- Add cold water lemon juice and sugar syrup to taste
- Serve with ice
Thirst Quenching Cantaloupe Melon Juice
6
servings10
minutes5
minutesCantaloupe Melon Juice
Ingredients
1 Cantaloupe/Rockmelon
1 lemon
Sugar Syrup, see below
Ice and Cold Water
- Sugar Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Directions
- Wash the melon thoroughly. Cut in half.
- Carefully scoop out the seeds and seed membrane and place this in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water. Use the back of a spoon to separate the seeds and extract the juice. Strain liquid into a 1 Litre jug. Discard seeds and membrane.
- From the one cut melon half , use a melon baller to make melon balls. Shred the offcuts.
- Shred the other melon half. If you don’t have a shredder, peel melon then slice into 4 and grate using the coarse side of a grater.
- Add melon balls and shredded melon into jug with melon liquid from step 1. Add 1/2 cup of sugar syrup, then add the juice of one lemon. Add enough water to fill the jug and stir.
- To serve, add ice cubes to serving glasses. Stir the jug of melon juice so melon balls and shredded melon are mixed thoroughly and pour into serving glasses. Note that the taste will be diluted as the ice melts, and the sweetness will also depend on how sweet the melon was. Adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar syrup to suit your preference.
- Sugar Syrup
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Simmer and stir just until the sugar dissolves. Cool.
Notes
- Maybe prepared ahead up to step 5, then stored in the fridge until ready to serve.
