Mint and Melon Mojitos - Imbibe Magazine Subscribe + Save

Mint and Melon Mojitos

mojitos

Renee Erickson’s Mojito riff centers the sweetness of cantaloupe.

When Seattle chef and restaurateur Renee Erickson was growing up, her mom would stock the fridge with Tupperware “for everything, including cantaloupe,” Erickson writes in her new book, Getaway. The book’s recipes for food and drinks serve as transportation devices, taking readers to Erickson’s favorite places, including Rome, Baja California, Normandy, and even her Tupperware-filled childhood refrigerator. “We would pop the lid and get a big burst of melon aroma, and this cocktail works that summery smell into a clean, bright drink,” she say. Combining ripe melon with white rum, mint, and soda water, Erickson’s Mojito riff offers up a party-ready pitcher of goodness.

Ingredients

Yield:6 cocktails
  • 1 medium, very ripe aromatic Charentais or cantaloupe melon, room temperature, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 quart/1 liter)
  • 1⁄4 cup simple syrup (more if your melon is not quite sweet enough)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1⁄2 cup picked mint leaves, plus sprigs, to garnish
  • 1⁄2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 12 oz. good-quality white rum, like Rhum J.M.
  • Soda water, to top
  • Tools:blender, pitcher, muddler, strainer
  • Garnish:lime wedge, mint spring

Preparation

In a blender, combine the melon, simple syrup, and salt. Buzz until smooth, then chill in the fridge until very cold, roughly an hour.

Chill six glasses in the freezer. In a large glass pitcher, muddle the mint and lime juice. Pour in the rum, add some ice, and stir until very cold. Strain the rum and lime mixture into the glasses. Into each pour ½ cup melon puree. Top each glass with ice and a splash of soda. Give each drink a quick stir with a mint sprig. Garnish with the mint and a lime wedge.

Enjoy This Article?

Sign up for our newsletter and get biweekly recipes and articles delivered to your inbox.

Send this to a friend