Cantaloupe cocktail drink – saltly melon slushies with lime. Frozen cantaloupe blended with lime and mint syrup! Add booze, if you like!
I’ve got a good thing goin’ with my kid right now. She’s in a melon phase. She is so enamored with watermelon, that she recognizes it in its cartoon form in books, and begs for it at the grocery store. I buy 2 melons every week, and split them with her. One half of the melon is for scooping into tiny balls using a melon baller…(I only have one kid, so I HAVE TIME FOR THESE THINGS). The other half of the melon is all for me.
I’ve actually started a little thing with her, for better or worse. Are you ready to judge me? Camille is in the kitchen with me constantly. She has a few drawers that she likes to dig through, and she loves to stack up all of the sprinkle jars (and subsequently knock them over right as I step backwards with a hot cake coming from the oven, but: details!). Whenever I open the fridge, she comes running. I filled the bottom drawer of the fridge with cubed watermelon, cantaloupe and lightly-pickled cucumbers. She helps herself at all hours of the day.
Part of me loves that she’s feeding herself (independent woman!), but part of me knows that those two huge handfuls of watermelon right before dinner aren’t doing her any favors. What are your thoughts on my parenting strategy here? I would ask on facebook, but it appears it’s not acceptable to post such things during this season of politicking.
So, back to me. I’ve really been enjoying the other half of her melons. Pureeing watermelon with lime and mint is one of my go-to things to do with a watermelon in the fridge. I’ve also been sipping cantaloupe-milk smoothies. I know that sounds a bit weird, but when I lived in Costa Rica, cantaloupe + milk quickly became one of my favorite juices. But when I stumbled upon this combination of frozen melon + salt, I stuck the landing like Simone Biles. Cantaloup cocktails for the win!
Does the salt sound weird here in this drink? It’s perfectly natural to me; I grew up salting my watermelon right alongside my Mama. And my Dad puts salt and pepper on his cantaloupe, so there’s that.
Which type of booze works in a cantaloupe cocktail?
I was going to list a few types of booze I like to tip into this cantaloupe cocktail when it comes out of the blender, but the list quickly grew into my entire bar. There’s hardly a bottle not welcome here.
Rum is here for sweetness, vodka is here to get the job done, gin shows up for an herbal kick, whiskey is for living life to the fullest.
Feel free to switch up the melon type, add different herbs to the simple syrup, and I won’t judge you for having a heavy-hand with the booze. The last few weeks of summer are upon us! Cantaloupe cocktail is here as a life raft.
I was inspired to whip up a drink to celebrate summer because my sweet friend Sherrie is hosting a party today called #DrinkTheSummer. A group of women with incredible taste came up with some delicious-sounding drinks, and you would be wise to check them out and get yourself lit before pumpkin season starts.
Don’t miss my Cherry Bourbon Slush drink for a similar take.
Salty Melon Slush
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cubed cantaloupe
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 small bunch mint
- 1 lime, juiced
- big pinch of salt (to taste, really..as salty as you can handle it)
- 3 shots alcohol (I used vodka this time)
Instructions
- Place the cantaloupe on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Meanwhile, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup water and the mint in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. The syrup will turn a light green color because of the mint.
- Strain the syrup and discard the mint.
- When ready to serve, add the simple syrup, lime juice, salt, alcohol and cantaloupe to a high-speed blender. Puree until slushy!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193 Sodium: 1mg
Mmmmmm… boozy slushy. I’ll take a few of these right now (yes, at 9am). They look wonderfully refreshing. And like you I grew up with salting melon (especially if it wasn’t ripe enough). But I’m also a big fan of salt in my cocktails. Like cooking, it makes the flavors pop.
boozy slushies are LIFE! this summer I’ve been all about frozen watermelon, tequila, a dash of triple sec, and some minced jalapeños – blend to perfection and drink the night away!!! this looks awesome Christina xo
Hooray for melon and booze!! This reminds me so much of Fiona and I in the kitchen. I think your/her little refrigerator snacking tradition is the cutest. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. As you know, just when things seem to become the norm, everything changes. <3
Just be happy that she eats good, healthy food. My cousin’s son would only eat hot dogs. Every meal. She was amazed that my son ate everything.
These look amazing, I want to reach out and grab one, I am in love with color of these. With so few ingredients I can see myself making these. I commend you with Camille, I believe my stepdaughters are healthy eaters because fruits and veggies were introduced to them when they were toddlers. They love having salad and veggies with dinner, and fruit anytime of the day. You sound like such an amazing mom to your little girl. Congratulations on all of your success. You have earned it all and deserve it all too!!
Letting kids feed themselves independently (as appropriate!) is such an awesome way to broaden their little palettes! I did things similarly with my now college daughters…letting them decide on produce buys at grocery stores and helping with preparation — and they grew up loving SO MANY FOODS! You are a wonderful Mama!!!!
This salty melon slush is just perfect for hot summer days! Melon, ice, and a bit of lime juice are simply blended together in this quick treat.
Whatever works for your family, works! i am not into judging other parents. My daughter never really had that option because it takes some height and strong arms to get to where the fruits and veggies are in our fridge, but it would have been nice to let her grab a snack on her own. These days she is super obedient and won’t do anything on her own without my say so, so some independence isn’t a bad thing!
I get all happy just be looking at this, counting the hours until apéro-time!
My friend. These are everything I want in a cocktail slush. Everything. Especially that SALT. I’m sorry it has taken me like a month to tell you, but thanks for hanging with us for #DRINKTHESUMMER 2016! You’re one of my faves, xx.
You lived in Costa Rica?! Let’s get drunk on the whiskey version of these and you can tell me your stories
Whenever it is getting close to dinner time, may I suggest you give your daughter a small plate of sliced cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes and Broccoli along with assorted dipping sauces. These are healthy options that are great finger foods and it lets her build her own taste buds. Plus, she will have already had her vegetables before dinner time.
When I was a kid my mom would jokingly told me that right before breakfast lunch and dinner time, the fairies in the fridge are busy making sure the ingredients taste good during cooking, and they would stop working if us the kids open the fridge.
That put us off snacking before meal times. And we have good laughs out of it now
Wow!!
This sounds Delicious!!
Vodka slushies are the perfect combo. I loved this melon twist of yours. Will try it for sure. Thank you!
No, it’s not summer yet, but I’ve pinned this rockin’ melon cocktail for later sipping! You have such a lovely blog, and so glad that I happened you via Twitter. I’ll be back to see what other wonderful recipes you’re creating! –G