Melon Baller Mojito

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Melon Baller Mojito

by Maren Swanson

Even though we are still technically enduring winter in LA, I ended up turning on my air conditioner yesterday to cool down my place. The sun was crazy hot that day, and I was ready for a cold and refreshing cocktail. My apartment was beginning to feel like that melting Perrier commercial and it was just the beginning of March! So, I headed to the corner Gelson's to scout for some fun fruit to play with (I'd overslept the Farmer's Market on Sunday).

Cantaloupe called out to me, so I picked up the glorious melon, along with a few other ingredients and proceded home for a solo Iron Chef mixology competion: me vs. the cantaloupe. So here it is: Melon Baller Mojito. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Cut the cantaloupe in half and scrape out the seeds. Once halved, slice the melon into cubes and place them into a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until smooth.

Measure out 1 cup of the cantaloupe puree along with 1cup of puree and boil for 1-2 minutes. Take the puree off of the stove, skim of the foam and let rest until cool - this is your cataloupe syrup. Tip: freeze the leftover cantaloupe syrup in ice trays for future use.

Cut the lime into even wedges. De-stem the mint leaves.

In a tall glass, layer 5-7 mint leaves, 2 lime wedges and 3 cantaloupe cubes: muddle. Next, add 1/2 oz of the cantaloupe syrup, 2 tiny splashes of Roses Lime Juice, 2oz of Rum. Add ice and pour into a shaker - shake hard twice and strain into a new glass of fresh ice.