Cantaloupe Strings Dessert Drink

It’s July. The hot, summer days are here. Relax with a Cantaloupe Strings Dessert Drink and enjoy the refreshing ice cold, plump melon strings sweetened by some limey calamansi. It’s a sure signal summer is definitely here.

There’s no turning back. Put away those winter recipes for now. The lazy hot days are here for a while. It’s time to whip out those cold beverage recipes.

One of our classic family favorites is this Cantaloupe Strings-Calamansi cooler. If you notice, I used a melon or cantaloupe scraper to make it. This is a tried and true Filipino kitchen gadget that’s sharp and quick to make those spaghetti-thin melon strings. For as long as I remember, our family has always prepared cantaloupe drinks this way. This is why when we moved to America years ago, I made sure to pack this little tool in my suitcase. And every time family and friends from Manila ask me what I want from back there, I always say “ send me a cantaloupe – melon grater” ~ a request that has always come back with a puzzled response like “Really, you don’t have those there?”

Nope, we don’t have these Filipino graters here in American kitchen stores . But don’t fret, if you don’t have one, use a regular fork to scrape some melon tendrils and you’re all set.

The sweet, fruity cantaloupe aroma is so inviting and when you mix in a few tablespoons of calamansi juice, the Filipino lime, then you’ll wish you could have this refresher all year long. And why not ? So long as you got the cantaloupes and the citrus, you can make this drink all the time. Your family will love this, that’s a guarantee! It’s fruity, it’s refreshing,it’s healthy, it’s easy to do.  It’s the perfect beverage for sunny summer days or any day you desire.

WATCH my TV clip when I made this Cantaloupe Strings-Calamansi Dessert Drink on “Halo-Halo with Kat Iniba” LA18 TV which aired in California and Hawaii. Click the YouTube video here >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywHO7X_wMGw

A big THANK YOU to FOODISTA.com, a highly curated food and drink site for featuring this “Melon- Calamansi Fruit Drink” as Drink Blog of the Week on July 31, 2012.  Cheers!

Print Recipe

Cantaloupe Strings Dessert Drink

Take a sip. Or have a spoonful. You can't go wrong with this refreshing Filipino classic, Cantaloupe Strings Dessert Drink. This is a refreshing drink of melon strings, sweet melon juice flavored with some calamansi, the Filipino lime and  honey. It's a light, easy to do beverage or snack. Perfect for scorching summer days or any time of the year. This is an Asian in America recipe. Serves 2.

Course: Beverages, Merienda, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Filipino Cantaloupe Strings Dessert Drink

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Asian in America recipe

Equipment

• grater for cantaloupes

Ingredients

• 2 whole fresh, ripe cantaloupes halved, seeded (save the seeds for melon juice)
• 6 Tablespoons calamansi juice fresh or frozen concentrate
• 8 cups cold water add more if needed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• for serving :ice cubes

Instructions

• Slice the cantaloupes in half, set aside the seeds in a separate bowl for later use.
• Scrape the cantaloupe meat into thin, long strips using a Filipino grater (or use a fork).

  *Note: Some friends use a mandolin to make the strips or strings.
• Place the cantaloupe strings in a pitcher.
• Put the cantaloupe fruit seeds on a sieve over the strings. While pressing against the seeds, pour the cold water over it to extract the essence and melon flavors.
• You should have about 7 to 8 cups of cantaloupe water. Discard the seeds.
• To the cantaloupe water, add the calamansi concentrate, sugar, honey. Mix well to dilute sugar.
• Pour the liquid into the pitcher of cantaloupe strings. Chill for a few hours. Serve cold in individual parfait glasses.
• Cook’s Comments: The calamansi is the Filipino lime. I have used it as an ingredient in past posts. You can buy the frozen calamansi concentrate in Asian groceries or online sources that offer Filipino ingredients. If not convenient, substitute with Meyer lemons and it’s just as delicious.
• Hello, Friends! All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and  recipe content I wrote, on your website, films or videos  without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video or news article, please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Sugar: 59g

Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Did you like this recipe? I have more classic recipes inspired by my late mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]