Melon Soda Cocktail

If you visit Japan, there is no question Japan is in love with the fruity flavor of melon.  It’s in everything from candies (yes, even Kit Kats!) to beverages, and it’s been that way for many years.  Japanese melon soda is one of the old-time favorites that continues to be a popular non-alcoholic drink item at the kissaten, or coffee shops, today.

Typical melon soda consists of soda water mixed with melon flavored syrup, served over ice and, most of the time, topped with vanilla ice cream.  It’s a childhood nostalgia item for me that I have to drink it at least once every time I visit Japan, even though, as an adult, I find it a bit too sweet.

This was my inspiration for my melon soda cocktail. I wanted to recreate the delicate flavor of melon soda but in a grown-up way, without too much sweetness.  And there is nothing better than shochu as the base alcohol for this cocktail drink.

What is shochu?

Shochu (pronounced show-chew) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage distilled typically from sweet potatoes, barley, buckwheat, brown sugar or rice.  You can learn more about this little-known (so far, in the U.S!) but a very popular alcohol in Japan on this shochu basics page.

Although shochu is not yet broadly distributed in the States, you can find it at Japanese or Asian grocery stores that carry alcoholic beverages.  The shochu I used is the Ty Ku Soju/Shochu.  Their website has a great locator tool so you can see where you get a bottle of this! The list does include restaurants and you may also want to call ahead to make sure that they actually have it in stock.

What is great about this and all multiple distilled shochu is that it has almost no smell and no potent alcoholic flavor like vodka, so it’s a great base alcohol to use in mixers that you want to highlight the natural flavors of other ingredients.   Since it’s lower in alcohol content (and lower calories to boot!) than vodka, it can be a great low-guilt substitute whenever the cocktail recipe calls for vodka. 

You could make this using vodka, but the alcoholic smell and taste is so much more potent with vodka that you may find it too overpowering for the delicate flavor of melon.

Occupational Hazard of Being a Blogger

While I was working on this recipe, I came across the real the occupational hazard of being a blogger:  I made these cocktails to taste test then take pictures for the blog.  I was all by myself at home with my dog Rocket and no one to help me drink them.  So I decided to drink them all after the photo shoot while I worked on this post.  I was passed out, drunk.  By 2:30 pm.  On a Tuesday afternoon…  

Melon Soda Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Shochu
• 2 oz. Midori melon liquor
• 3 oz. 7-up or Sprite
• Ice cubes
• Vanilla ice cream

Garnish: (optional)

• Maraschino cherry
• And/or a small cantaloupe wedge

Glass:

• Highball or Collins or Hurricane

Instructions:

• Fill the glass with ice cubes.
• Add Midori and shochu, and top with Sprite/7-Up.
• Gently stir to combine.
• Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, garnish and serve.

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