This 3-Ingredient Filipino Drink Is The Perfect Thirst Quencher Before Melon Season Ends — And It Takes Less Than 15 Minutes To Make
This drink wows me every single time...
Hi! I'm Dannica, I'm Filipina, and cantaloupe juice has been one of my favorite drinks since, like, ever. I'm sure other countries have their own variation of cantaloupe juice, but in the Philippines, we call it Melon sa Malamig — or, for short, Melon.
During the summertime, my mom makes Melon and serves it to my siblings and me in tall glasses paired with spoons and straws. Made by shredding a ripe cantaloupe into beautiful ribbons, Melon is my ultimate comfort drink — it's so refreshing, so sweet, and so delicious. Honestly, the only time you'll catch cantaloupe near my mouth is when I'm drinking Melon. (I hate eating it in chunks, IDK why). And whenever I head to a local Filipino shop, I always look to see if I can grab a cup of Melon to quench my thirst and — not even being corny — relive the feelings of childhood.
Not only is this Melon recipe — made with three ingredients — perfect to ride out the warmer weather and a great way to take advantage of melon season, but it also makes a pitcher's worth of juice, making it ideal for get-togethers and for sipping throughout the week. And the best part? It takes less than 15 minutes to make! Now, if you're ready to potentially inadvertently consume an entire cantaloupe, let's get on with my mom's Melon recipe. As I mentioned, you only need three ingredients: a ripe cantaloupe, white granulated sugar, and water.
STEP 1: Cut your cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. I used an ice cream scooper, but you can definitely just use a regular spoon. If there are some seed stragglers, it's OK! As for the melon guts, you can go ahead and trash 'em.
STEP 2: Shred the melon. This is the most tedious part of the recipe, just because you're essentially ripping through the entire cantaloupe. There are a couple of ways you can get the lovely cantaloupe ribbons, but the two easiest methods are by using either a fork or a "melon grater."
As you're shredding the melon, have your pitcher next to you so that you can fill it with the cantaloupe ribbons as you go along. As you're shredding, the melon juice will also come out, so you can empty all that good stuff into the pitcher as well. Scrape your fork or melon grater all along the sides and the bottom of the cantaloupe, making sure you get everything. In this economy, we gotta get our money's worth.
For comparison, here's what the ribbons look like using the melon grater versus a fork:
After you've shredded up both halves of the melon, your pitcher should be almost full with juice and cantaloupe ribbons.
STEP 3: Add 2 cups of water to the pitcher. Adding in water helps to mellow out the strong melon flavor while also adding more volume.
STEP 4: Add a ½ cup of sugar and mix thoroughly. Of course, feel free to add as little or as much sugar as you prefer! I personally don't like my Melon too sweet, so a ½ cup was just the right amount for my taste.
And you're done! Chill your Melon pitcher in the fridge or, if you're like me and can't wait, get some ice in a glass, pour some juice in there, and use a spoon or ladle to scoop in some of those yummy cantaloupe ribbons.
Whether you're still trying to keep cool from the sizzling heat (I live in California, where summer basically lasts until November), you want to make the most out of melon season before it ends, or you're looking to try a quick and easy Filipino recipe, Melon is the way to go!
