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Melon liqueur is an incredibly tasty low-alcohol drink that has a delicate fruity aroma.
Features of preparing this liqueur at home
To prepare the drink, only fully ripened melon is used. It should be juicy. The aroma will differ depending on the variety.
The melon is cut, peeled, seeds removed, and the pulp is cut into small pieces. The prepared raw materials are poured with alcohol so that its level is approximately 4 cm higher. The infusion time is approximately 10 ten days. Keep the drink in a dark pantry.
The tincture is filtered through cheesecloth, and the melon pulp is covered with sugar and left for 5 days. The strained syrup is combined with the tincture and stirred. Before use, keep in the refrigerator for two days and strain.
The liqueur is prepared from the pulp or juice of melon.
Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.If you want to get a very sweet drink, the norm is increased.
The quality of the drink largely depends on the water used to prepare it. It is better to take spring or non-carbonated mineral water.
Homemade melon liqueur recipes
There are many recipes for melon liqueur at home that will help you prepare a tasty and aromatic drink without much effort.
First classic version
Ingredients:
- 250 g granulated sugar;
- 2.5 kg ripe melon;
- 0.5 l of still mineral water;
- 300 ml of 70% alcohol solution.
Preparation:
- Wash the melon, cut it in half and remove the seeds and fibers. Cut off the peel. Cut the pulp into small pieces. Place in a glass container and fill with alcohol.
- Close the jar with a lid and keep in a cool, dark place for a week.
- Strain the liquid, close the container tightly and place in the refrigerator.
- Pour half a portion of sugar into the pulp, close and leave in a warm, dark place for 5 days. Strain the resulting syrup and pour into a saucepan.
- Pour water into the jar with melon and shake well. Filter the mixture and add to the saucepan with the syrup. Place the pulp in cheesecloth and squeeze out. Add the remaining sugar to the mixture and place over low heat. Heat, stirring, until the crystals are completely dissolved.
- Cool the syrup completely and combine with the tincture from the refrigerator. Shake. Bottle the drink and keep it in the cellar for 3 months. Before serving, skim off the sediment.
Second classic option
Ingredients:
- 300 g fine sugar;
- 3 kg of ripe melon;
- 1 liter of strong alcohol.
Preparation:
- Wash the melon under running water, dry it with a towel, cut into 3 parts and scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon.Cut the skin off the pulp and cut into small pieces.
- Place the prepared melon in a glass container and pour in alcohol so that it is at least 3 cm above the pulp.
- Close the jar tightly with a lid and leave it on the windowsill for 5 days. Then move the container to a dark place and leave for another 10 days. Shake the contents daily.
- After the allotted time, strain the liquid through several layers of gauze. Pour into a clean glass container, cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator.
- Return the melon pulp to the bowl, add sugar and stir. Close tightly and keep in a warm place for a week. Filter the resulting syrup through cheesecloth. Squeeze out the pulp.
- Combine the syrup with alcoholic tincture. Shake thoroughly and pour into bottles. Seal with corks and send to the cellar for 3 months.
Third classic option
Ingredients:
- citric acid to taste;
- 1 liter of alcohol;
- 1 liter of melon juice.
Preparation:
- Wash fresh ripe melon, cut into two equal parts and remove seeds and fibers. Cut off the peel. Coarsely chop the pulp. Extract the juice using any convenient method. You should get a liter of liquid.
- Add citric acid to the melon drink and add sugar. Stir until the bulk ingredients dissolve.
- Combine the acidified juice with alcohol, add a little sugar and shake. Place the liqueur in a cool place for a week. Strain the drink and bottle it.
Simple recipe for melon liqueur
Ingredients:
- 250 g fine sugar;
- 250 ml of quality vodka;
- 250 ml melon juice.
Preparation:
- Peel the melon, cut it and remove the seeds and fibers. The pulp is cut and the juice is squeezed out of it in any convenient way.
- The aromatic liquid is combined with alcohol, sugar is added and stirred thoroughly.
- Pour the resulting drink into a glass container and keep for another 2 weeks, shaking occasionally so that the sugar is completely dissolved.
Second simple recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kg 200 g ripe melon;
- 200 g fine sugar;
- 1 l 500 ml table red wine.
Preparation:
- The washed melon is cleaned of seeds and peel. The prepared pulp is cut into small pieces.
- The melon is placed in a jar or enamel pan, covered with sugar and poured with wine.
- Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours. The drink is filtered and served to the table.
Japanese melon liqueur
At home, you can prepare the famous Japanese melon liqueur “Midori”. To get the original color, add 5 drops of yellow and dark green food coloring to the liqueur.
Ingredients:
- 400 g cane sugar;
- 2.5 kg ripe melon;
- 500 ml filtered water;
- ½ liter of pure grain alcohol.
Preparation:
- The melon is washed under running water, cut in half and the seeds and fibers are removed using a spoon. Cut off the peel, leaving about 0.5 cm of pulp, and cut it into not too small cubes.
- The prepared melon peel is placed in a 2 liter jar and filled with alcohol. The container is tightly closed with a lid and left for a month and a half in a dark, cool room. Shake the contents every 3 days.
- Water is poured into a saucepan, cane sugar is added and simmered on low heat. Heat, stirring, until the crystals dissolve completely. Cool until barely warm.
- The alcohol infusion is filtered. Combine with sugar syrup, stir and pour into a clean, dry jar. Keep for another week in a cool room.
- Thick gauze is soaked in alcohol and the drink is filtered through it.Pour into dark glass bottles and seal hermetically. The liqueur is left to mature for 3 months in the cellar or refrigerator.
Polish melon liqueur recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ liter of filtered water;
- 4 kg ripe melon;
- 20 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 120 ml light rum;
- 1 liter of pure grain alcohol, 95% strength;
- 800 g cane sugar.
Preparation:
- The washed melon is cut into 2 parts, the fibers with seeds are scraped out with a spoon. Cut off the skin from the pulp. A large glass container is washed and dried. Place the melon cut into pieces into it.
- Water is combined with sugar and placed on low heat. Cook the syrup over low heat for about 5 minutes from the moment it boils.
- Pour hot syrup over the melon in a jar and add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Cover tightly with a lid and keep for a day in a dark room.
- The tincture is filtered. The cake is squeezed through gauze, folded in several layers. Light rum and alcohol are added to the liquid. Stir and bottle. Keep for at least two months in a cellar or refrigerator. Before serving, the liqueur is removed from the sediment.
Cognac brandy recipe
The drink will appeal to true connoisseurs of delicious alcohol.
Ingredients:
- 1 liter of filtered water;
- 1 kg of ripe melon;
- 250 g fine sugar;
- 2 liters of ordinary cognac brandy.
Preparation:
- Pour the water into a saucepan, add granulated sugar. Place on low heat and heat, stirring regularly, until the grains dissolve. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes from the moment it boils and remove from the stove.
- Cut the melon and scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. The peel is cut off. The pulp is cut into pieces and placed in a large glass container. Pour in sugar syrup and cognac brandy.
- Cover with a lid and keep at room temperature for 2 weeks. The finished liqueur is filtered and bottled in dark glass. Seal tightly with stoppers and store in a cool place.
Recipe with melon syrup
Ingredients:
- 10 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 540 ml melon syrup;
- 60 ml filtered water;
- 300 ml of alcohol or vodka, 50% strength.
Preparation:
- In a glass container of suitable volume, combine water with alcohol, lemon juice and this syrup.
- Shake everything thoroughly and keep for at least a month in a cool, dark place.
- The finished liquor is filtered and bottled.
Terms and conditions of storage
To maximize the shelf life of the liqueur, only high-quality ingredients are used for preparation. Temperature plays a big role. When exposed to high or low temperatures, sugar can crystallize and remain as a sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
It is better to store liquor in a cellar or pantry. You should strictly avoid places exposed to direct sunlight. The shelf life is 1 year.
Conclusion
Regardless of the recipe used to prepare melon liqueur, it is not drunk in its pure form. As a rule, the drink is diluted with spring water or champagne. The liqueur is perfect for making a variety of cocktails. Pairs especially well with sour drinks.
