meloncello
a lovely liqueur
For years, I’ve dreamt of trying authentic meloncello in the streets of Italy. A Jersey red sauce joint may not have the same vibe as Italy, but last year, one of my favorite restaurants, Nettie’s House of Spaghetti, had meloncello (cantaloupe and honeydew) on their summer aperitif menu. Naturally, I ended my meal that day with both. TLDR; they were fantastic, I bought bottles of them home from the restaurant to sip on throughout the summer, and I vowed to recreate the cantaloupe version at home this year. Well, I’m a woman of my word, and more importantly, I wanted to drink that meloncello outside now that the weather is warming up, so here we are.
It’s a perfect liqueur on its own for spring and summer, but can be jazzed up as a spritz with prosecco or sparkling water. I personally love having it at the end of a meal or alongside some charcuterie for aperitivo hour.
Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
500 g ripe cantaloupe, thinly sliced
15 oz vodka
20 oz water
150 g sugar
Directions:
1. In a large jar or container with a lid, add cantaloupe and vodka. Cover, shake, and let steep in the refrigerator for 3 days. (Proceed to step two after your melon mixture has steeped)
2. Combine water and sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Simmer and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool completely.
3. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the vodka and cantaloupe until no chunks of melon remain. Double strain into a clean container, add the cooled simple syrup, and stir to combine. Transfer to a bottle, seal, and refrigerate* until fully chilled before enjoying! Garnish with a skewer of prosciutto and mozzarella pearl for the ultimate snack/drink combo :)
*Store the meloncello in the refrigerator for up to to 1 month
