Melon Caipirinha
Muddle ∙ 3 min ∙ 22.3% ABV ∙
The Melon Caipirinha is a muddled Brazilian-style cocktail of cachaça, lime, and cantaloupe melon muddled with sugar and served over cracked ice. Muddling releases a juicy, fragrant sweetness that softens the tang, while cracked ice keeps every sip crisp, cold, and pleasantly dilute through the last drop.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Cut half a Fresh lime into wedges and drop into a sturdy rocks glass
- Add Powdered sugar 3 bsp (or 15 ml sugar syrup) and muddle
- Add Melon 1 slice and muddle again
- Once the sugar is dissolved, transfer the mixture to the serving glass
- Pour Cachaça 60 ml into the muddling glass, swirl to rinse, and pour into the serving glass
- Stir to combine
- Crack 4-5 large ice cubes with an ice tapper and drop into the serving glass
- Stir, top with more ice, and serve with a stirrer
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass before building so the first sip stays cold even before the ice has time to cool it down.
- Muddle the lime and sugar until the sugar fully dissolves before adding the melon, or the drink turns gritty.
History
Melon Caipirinha is a modern fruit variation on the classic Caipirinha, with no separately documented creator or bar of origin; it belongs to the broad family of muddled-fruit caipirinha riffs that Brazilian and international bars developed as the drink spread abroad, swapping in cantaloupe or other melon in place of the lime wedges muddled with sugar and cachaça in the original.
The Caipirinha itself is generally traced to the interior of São Paulo, Brazil, with academic consensus pointing to around 1918, though some accounts instead place an early version in the Alentejo region of Portugal around the same period. Cachaça, Brazil's sugarcane spirit, is the drink's defining base, and the Melon Caipirinha keeps that base while replacing the lime with melon for a sweeter, less tart profile.
FAQ
What alcohol is in a Melon Caipirinha?
Cachaça is the alcohol in a Melon Caipirinha, a Brazilian sugarcane spirit muddled here with lime, powdered sugar, and a slice of cantaloupe melon. The drink comes in at about 22.3% ABV, a bit lighter than a classic Caipirinha since the melon adds volume without adding alcohol.
How do you make a Melon Caipirinha?
Muddle lime wedges with powdered sugar in a sturdy glass until the sugar dissolves, then muddle in a slice of cantaloupe melon. Transfer the mixture to the serving glass, rinse the muddling glass with cachaça and pour that in too, stir, then fill with cracked ice and serve with a stirrer.
How do you make a proper Caipirinha?
A classic Caipirinha is just cachaça, muddled lime, and sugar over cracked ice, with nothing else added. This Melon Caipirinha follows the same technique but muddles in a slice of cantaloupe melon alongside the lime for a sweeter, fruitier version.
What alcohol goes well with melon?
Cachaça pairs well with melon, since its grassy, slightly funky sweetness echoes the fruit rather than fighting it, as in this Melon Caipirinha, where muddled lime keeps the pairing balanced rather than flat and one-note sweet.
