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