Old School Melon Cocktail Recipes

Steps:

• Using a melon baller, scoop as many balls as you can from the honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon. Save the scraps for another use. Put the melon balls on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a resealable container and keep frozen until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.
• Meanwhile, drill a hole in a 3-gallon plastic container, about 2 inches from the bottom, with a power drill fitted with a 5/8-inch drill bit. Snip any ragged pieces of plastic with scissors and securely attach a keg tap. Wash well to remove any plastic bits.
• Invert a 16-by-10-by-7-inch red plastic bucket (144 ounces). Attach the bottom of the keg to the bottom of the bucket with hot glue. Wrap a 4-foot red cord around where the keg and bucket meet to cover the seam; glue it in place. Cover the lid with red contact paper. Apply a chalkboard sticker to the bucket directly below the tap. Use a chalk pen to write 25 cents on the sticker.
• When ready to serve, put the melon balls in the keg. Pour in the vodka and orange liqueur. Top with seltzer and stir, then top with the lid.

Steps:

• Refrigerate melon chunks in a large covered container several hours or until very cold. Place chilled melon into a blender or food processor process until melon liquefies and is smooth.

Steps:

• Puree the cantaloupe with the cider, the juice of 1/2 lemon (or to taste) and a pinch of salt in a blender on low speed. You want to keep the mixture to be smooth, keeping the blender on low will help you avoid whipping unnecesary air into the melon and lightening the flavor along with the color. Add a little ice water if the blender has trouble blending the melon, and if you feel the melon lacks sweetness, add honey to taste. Refrigerate until ready to make the drinks. Put half each of the melon puree and gin, and 1 more tablespoon lemon juice in a shaker (or any container with a fitted lid) with a few ice cubes and shake until blended and cold. Strain in 2 chilled glasses. Rub the rim of each glass with the lemon wedge for a little added acidity when sipping, and garnish with melon balls. Repeat to make more drinks.