Tiger Melon Cocktails – three fun and refreshing versions to try

“Tiger melon cocktails” was almost my first thought when we found these darling little melons at the grocery store. My very first thought was that they were SO totally adorable! They’re so small, they fit very easily into the palm of your hand. My next thought was that they smelled fabulous! Flowery and fruity and sweet, with just a little honeydew mixed in. Really amazing! And THAT made me think of a cocktail.

And remember – if you’re under 21, this recipe is not intended for you yet, unless you substitute something non-alcoholic for the spirits. (Which would also be very tasty!)

I’ve been crushing on St Germain all summer, (well, all decade,) and these melons’ fragrance made me think they’d be perfect with the elderflower taste of St Germain. Especially when I cut them open and that gorgeous fragrance wafted up!

About Tiger Melons

I’d never seen or even heard of Tiger melons, so of course I looked them up. Apparently, they’re also called Tigger Melons – I guess after the bouncy tiger in Winnie the Pooh. They certainly do look bouncy and Tiggery!

Finding a Tiger Melon Cocktail recipe

Since I only have a tiny bit of experience making up cocktails, the first thing I did was find one online. Possibly unsurprisingly, there weren’t very many for tiger melon cocktails, but I thought I could adapt a watermelon one. I decided on this one from Kim’s Cravings Vodka Watermelon Cocktails.

I ended up making lots of changes to it, and eventually, just went by taste. Even though I really tried to keep track of the measurements, I failed. Ultimately, I just mixed the ingredients until the tiger melon cocktail tasted good to me.

Preparing the melons

The first thing I did was puree the melons. It was so easy to scoop out the seeds – the melons are so small, that it was literally one scoop with a tablespoon, and done.

I had fun scooping out the actual melon from the rind, as well. Super easy!

Then I put all the scooped-out parts of both melons into the blender.

I just whirled it around for a minute or so, and it turned out very liquidy and frothy. It also had some little dark flecks in it, which surprised me. But they didn’t affect the taste at all. I got about 3/4 of a cup – or about 3 servings) from the two melons.

Making the tiger melon cocktails

I poured 1/4 cup of the puree into a glass full of ice, then added 1/4 cup of vodka.

A bit of St Germain, next. (Remember I forgot to measure when I got to the fun St Germain part. I probably started with a shot glass full, but added quite a bit more as I went along!)

Then a couple tablespoons of fresh lime juice. This was a bit much for my taste. I backed it off on my next tries.

Next, I added about two teaspoons of clover honey, and garnished with a lime wedge and fresh basil. (The original recipe called for mint, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. The basil added a nice herb-y component though.)

So refreshing!

For all the tiger melon smelled so sweet, its taste really isn’t. It’s like the white, minimalist version of a really lovely floral perfume. Completely adult and sophisticated. The taste was clean and bright – and extraordinarily refreshing!

It was approximately a billion degrees the night I made this, and the cold tiger melon cocktail was absolute heaven!

I loved it when it was less than a billion degrees too! And since we’re supposed to get another heat wave before true fall sets in, I’m keeping this one on the boards for next week, and on into fall, or whenever the stores run out of tiger melons!

A champagne version of tiger melon coocktails

After the first version was done, I thought I’d mess around with another of my favorite beverages, champagne! I basically made the same recipe as above, but with less lime, and only filled my glass 3/4 of the way. Topping it off with a lime slice and raspberry made it festive.

I will put in a recommendation here though. Get good quality sparkling wine. And it doesn’t have to be actual champagne, just something nice and bubbly! This would work great with sparkling water or soda too.

And on to the raspberries

And that raspberry garnish made me think of adding raspberries to the actual melon blend.

Same recipe as above, but I also put fresh raspberries in the blender. Really really good, especially if you’re in the mood for something a little fruitier and sweeter.

You could freeze your raspberries and melon if you wanted more of an icy texture for your tiger melon cocktails.

Tiger melon cocktail ingredients

Here are the ingredients, and the starting amounts. As I mentioned, you’ll probably want to add and taste until you hit on the exact proportions that you like best.

Print

Tiger Melon Cockail Ingredients

• Basic Ingredients for one cocktail

• Pureed fresh tiger melon – 1/4 cup

• Vodka – approx 1/4 cup

• St Germain – approx 1/4 cup

• Lime juice – approx 1 tablespoon

• Honey – approx 2 tsps

• Ice cubes

• Garnish with basil (or mint) and lime slice

• For an icier texture, freeze your melon before pureeing

• Champagne (or sparkling wine) version

• Mix as above, but only fill glass 3/4 full

• Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling wine

• Garnish with raspberry and lime slice

• Raspberry version

• Add fresh raspberries to the blender in first step of the basic recipe, and taste until you like the flavor balance

• Make the rest of the recipe per above

• Garnish with raspberries, lime, and basil

Your turn

Have you heard of – or had – tiger melons? Let me know in the Comments – I’d love to know what you think.

And as always, thanks so much for sharing all the fun!

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