Melon Cooler is a drink you can always keep handy in your fridge when you feel like giving yourself a treat or when you have guests over. It’s a crowd-pleaser perfect for parties, potlucks, and other get-togethers. Another great thing about it is it only takes less than 15 minutes to make and requires only a few ingredients –just melon, plantbased milk, sugar, and vanilla extract (you can also put ice upon serving if you think it’s still not cold enough). And these ingredients are easy to find in almost any neighborhood –you don’t have to be in the Philippines to get hold of a melon!
Although popular worldwide, the melon cooler has a special place in the Philippine Samalamig collection, a line-up of sweet and chilled beverages in the Philippines. Usually, you’ll find samalamig sold at stalls at malls, outside churches, schools, and other popular establishments. Aside from the melon cooler, other samalamig drinks include sago’t gulaman (tapioca pearls and jelly), buko/coconut juice, and many more.
Unlike other samalamig drinks, the nice thing about the melon cooler is that it imparts natural sweetness from the melon, so be sure not to throw away the juice when you’re making the shreds! Speaking of which, you can shred using a special tool just for this type of drink. You can easily find it in major palengkes or public markets, but interestingly it can be tricky at supermarkets and department stores. If you can’t find one, use a fork like I did. The video below will demonstrate how I did it.
- 1 medium melon (also known as cantaloupe)
- 2-3 cups soymilk (or preferred plantbased milk)
- 1 cup sugar
- few drops of vanilla extract
- crushed or cubed ice, upon serving
- Using a fork or melon scraper, scrape the melon to create shreds. Use a spoon to scoop out entire melon shreds and transfer the shreds (and juice) to a bowl and set aside.
- Pour plantbased milk in a small pot or pan and put to a simmer.
- Mix in the sugar and few drops of vanilla extract.
- As soon as the sugar fully dissolves, turn off the heat. Let it cool down.
- Combine the sweetened soymilk and melon shreds.
- To serve, add ice. Or keep in the fridge until ready to drink.
Here in the Philippines, it’s summertime, and the temperature is blazingly hot. A melon samalamig cooler is just what I needed the beat the heat and keep myself cool. It’s not too sweet, and the natural juice from the melon fruit makes this drink healthier than most sugary refreshments. Just give me plenty of ice to go with it, and I’ll be all set!