Sweet Melon Martini
Gin cocktails kind of get neglected around here because we love vodka so much. But we are working on changing that with drinks like the Margarita Martini, the Boulevardier and The Last Word Cocktail. And of course there is this gin cantaloupe martini that is perfect when melons are in season.
I’m not a big gin drinker so I normally don’t order gin cocktails when I go out. But on one outing to my favorite bar/restaurant in Reno, my sister ordered this drink and it was delicious. I knew right away I had to recreate it. And it just so happened I had everything in my liquor cabinet to do so.
It starts with Hendrick’s Gin and elderflower liqueur. Both are also used together in the Green Spring Cocktail. But instead of sage like the green spring, this gin cantaloupe martini has muddled mint. It also has fresh squeezed cantaloupe juice. I decided to puree the cantaloupe instead of muddling it because I wanted more juice and less pulp in the drink. If you have a juicer, you could use that instead of a blender.
The result of everything together is a delicately sweet gin cantaloupe martini. The cantaloupe doesn’t get lost with the booze. And the booze doesn’t get lost with the cantaloupe. It all just works.
Gin Cantaloupe Martini
Ingredients
2 ounces fresh cantaloupe, pureed and strained
4 mint leaves
1 ounce Hendrick’s Gin
1/2 ounce Velvet Falernum
1/2 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
A few pieces of cantaloupe and a sprig of mint for garnish
Preparation
In a blender, puree cantaloupe and then pour it through a strainer.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle mint leaves with fresh squeezed lemon.
Add strained cantaloupe, gin, Falernum, and St. Germain with ice and shake.
Strain mixture into a martini glass and garnish with a few pieces of cantaloupe on a skewer and a sprig of mint.
Makes one gin cantaloupe martini.
