Cantaloupe Frosé (Frozen Rosé)

Summertime here in Indiana can be completely oppressive. The heat is one thing—90-100°F on any given day—but then you add in 90% humidity? Phew. I basically live in the A/C through July and August.

But one great thing that comes out of all that warmth: the best cantaloupes in the whole wide world. Seriously, cantaloupes are a real thing here in Southern Indiana, and when the gettin’ is good, we use those cantaloupes in all kinds of fun and interesting ways. Melon salad? Yes, please. Cucumber Cantaloupe popsicles? Sign me up. And, yup, we even put it into a jam. And now, cantaloupe is getting maybe it’s best starring role yet—Cantaloupe Frosé—AKA: Cantaloupe Frozen Rosé.

This recipe is supremely simple because it relies on the sweet flavor of in-season melons and the tart and tangy flavor of your favorite rosé wine. It is absolutely the perfect drink for the dog days of summer—especially when you garnish it with fresh and crisp peppermint. It’s so cool and refreshing that I even enjoy it outside on those 90°F/90% days!

This cocktail does take a bit of forethought because you need to freeze your cantaloupe ahead of time. I strongly recommend never using plain water ice cubes in frozen cocktails, because they just water down the flavor! Instead, freeze fruit or cocktail mixers and use those to get the right slushy texture. It’s the same method we used in our Frozen Cucumber Strawberry Margarita recipe too.

This recipe does call for a little bit of sweetener (2 tablespoons of honey) because the rosé wine I like tends to be a little on the drier side, but if you have super sweet melons and enjoy a sweet rosé, you can easily make this cocktail without a speck of added sugar. Enjoy!