Cantaloupe Gin Rickey Cocktail

Inspiration

Cantaloupe Gin Rickey

Made by Evan Rothrock

It’s summer and I’ve just come back from the grocery store with two of my all-time favorite summer ingredients. Cantaloupe and prosciutto. It’s sunny outside and we’re having a little “staycation” at a house with a pool. As I make up our light snack, Evan pilfers some of the cantaloupe and starts making some melon balls to throw in the freezer and straining the goopy seeds for juice. I eye him curiously… but knowing him as I do, I have a feeling there’s a delicious cantaloupe cocktail in my future.

Wow was I right! I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a cantaloupe cocktail at all, but now that I have it’s a go-to summer favorite. Easy to make, festive, and perfect for lounging by the pool.

Cantaloupe cocktail gin rickey with Fleurette gin

Let’s Get Shakin’

Serves: 1

Special Tools: Cocktail shaker, melon baller

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 ½ oz gin (we like the Fleurette Gin from New Alchemy)

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz cantaloupe juice

Juice of ½ lime

Soda water

Steps

Fill a Collins glass with ice.
Add all ingredients except for soda water into cocktail shaker.
Fill shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds.
Strain over fresh ice into Collins glass and top with soda water.
Garnish with fresh or pre-frozen melon balls, as desired.

Suzanne making a sour face wondering if she'll like this cocktail

But will I like it?

Cocktail flavor profile

Getting to know your palate, what you like, and what you don’t like is a critical part of being a great craft tippler AND key to becoming a great home bartender as well!

So before you break out that barware and buy the key ingredients, here’s a little guidance on what to expect from this cocktail so you can start to hone in on exactly what elements of cocktails you enjoy and which you’d prefer to minimize. This helps you order new cocktails you love when you’re out on the town better as well!