Five-Minute Cantaloupe Lemonade | Cup of Jo (2024)

A warm day is always better with a cold drink in hand, don’t you think? Today, we’re happy to share Amber Wilson’s recipe for delicious cantaloupe lemonade from her new cookbook, For the Love of the South. It’s sweet and bitter, and the perfect complement to any party appetizer. Here’s how to churn it out…

Cantaloupe Lemonade
From Amber Wilson’s For the Love of the South

I can’t think of a more refreshing, effortless way to serve cantaloupe than with this cantaloupe lemonade. The sweetness of the melon complements the tart lemonade in a beautiful way. Leftover cantaloupe can be sliced, covered and stashed away in the fridge for later. For an elegant summertime co*cktail, top off cantaloupe lemonade with prosecco or sparkling wine.

Recipe: Cantaloupe Lemonade
Makes 4 1/2 cups

1/2 cup cantaloupe juice (see below)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 1/2 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
Ice, for serving

To make the cantaloupe juice, roughly chop 1/4 of a peeled medium cantaloupe. Puree the cantaloupe using a blender or an immersion blender and strain the cantaloupe puree through a fine-mesh sieve.

Juice enough lemons to produce 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to a large pitcher along with the cantaloupe juice and 3 cups cold water. In a bowl, stir together the sugar and boiling water until the sugar dissolves completely. Pour the syrup into the pitcher and stir for a few seconds. Serve over ice.

Thank you so much, Amber!

P.S. More recipes, including the best party co*cktail and three flavored waters.

(Recipe excerpted from For the Love of the South by Amber Wilson. Copyright © 2018 by Amber Wilson. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Thanks to Franny Eremin for helping with this series.)