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The “Melvin” with a Twist

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The classic summer drink in Chile is Melón con Vino, commonly called a Melvin. It’s traditionally made by scooping out the flesh of a honeydew melon and filling the shell with a mix of white wine and confectioner’s sugar. My twist is to purée the honeydew and blend it with the wine, rather than sweetening with sugar. While it’s fun to sip it through straws from the melon, a Melvin tastes just as refreshing served in glasses, with or without ice. Experiment with other sweet melon varieties such as Galia, Canary, and Hami.

Ingredients

  • 1 large ripe honeydew melon
  • One 750 ml bottle white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, chilled

Directions

If you want to serve the Melvin in the melon shell, cut off a piece of rind from the bottom so it will stand up, then slice off the top third; if not, simply cut the melon in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then scoop out the flesh. Purée the flesh
in a high-powered blender. Pour the wine into a pitcher and stir in the purée. Refrigerate until very cold (an hour or more), then pour into the melon shell or tall glasses.

Serves 4

Tiger Bomb Coffee

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

My wife Meghan and I fell in love with this refreshing coffee drink created at Tone Coffee in Melbourne. My version adds a splash of fresh-pressed olive oil for polyphenol goodness and more richness.

Ingredients

  • 4 shots espresso
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 small orange for zesting

Directions

Step 1

Brew the espresso and transfer to a small pitcher. Refrigerate until cold.

Step 2

Whip the heavy cream until thick but still pourable (stop before you reached the soft-peak stage). Add the sweetened condensed milk, olive oil, and salt and whip for 2 minutes more to fully blend.

Step 3

Fill two 8-ounce glasses with ice (oversized cubes work best). Pour equal amounts of whole milk over the ice, then equal amounts of the cream mixture. Next, carefully drizzle half the cold espresso around the inside rim of each glass to create tiger-like stripes down the sides. Use a Microplane grater to top each drink with fresh orange zest.

Serves 2

Borgoña

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Far simpler than a sangria, this Chilean drink is just red wine and macerated strawberries—sweet and refreshing at the same time.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 bottle Chilean red wine
  • Optional garnishes: lime slices and fresh mint

Directions

Step 1

Rinse, pat dry, and hull the strawberries, then cut them into pieces and place in a bowl. Toss with the olive oil and sugar and let sit for a half-hour.

Step 2

Transfer the berries to a large pitcher and add the bottle of red wine. Chill for two or more hours. Serve over ice, garnished as desired.

Serves 6

Ultra Creamy Eggnog

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Rich and creamy, fresh eggnog makes you feel like you’re sipping on vanilla custard—so good that you’ll never go back to the premade versions in the grocery dairy case. Spike it with your favorite spirit, such as brandy, bourbon, rum, or whisky, if desired.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs plus 4 yolks 
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar 
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream 
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling 
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Directions

Step 1

Whisk the eggs and yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until well blended; set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring the milk and cream to a simmer. Ladle a small amount into the eggs to temper them, then slowly transfer the egg mixture back to the saucepan. Cook, whisking continuously, until it reaches 160°F on an instant read thermometer (the temperature it takes to “cook” the eggs); don’t let it reach a boil.

Step 2

Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. For the smoothest eggnog, strain it through a fine sieve into a heat-safe pitcher. When it comes to room temperature, cover and place in the fridge until cold and thickened (you can do this up to three days in advance). 

Step 3

To serve, pour into festive glasses, sprinkle on more cinnamon, and grate more nutmeg right over the top. 

Yields 4 drinks