Chilled Japanese Melon and Cucumber Cooler with Shiso, Lime and Sparkling Water

Chill the melon and cucumber in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you start, since blending cold fruit keeps the color bright and the flavor clean.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups ripe honeydew or green melon, seeded and cubed
• 1 large English cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 fresh shiso leaves, plus 4 for garnish
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey or light agave syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups chilled sparkling water
• Ice cubes, to fill
• 1 lime, cut into wheels, for garnish
• 1 small cucumber, shaved into ribbons, for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill the melon and cucumber in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you start, since blending cold fruit keeps the color bright and the flavor clean.
2. Blend the melon cubes and chopped cucumber together on high for about 45 seconds until completely smooth and pale green.
3. Strain the puree through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing gently with a ladle, and stop pressing once the pulp left behind looks dry; forcing it through makes the drink cloudy and vegetal.
4. Stack the 8 shiso leaves, roll them into a tight cigar and slice them into fine ribbons, then muddle them lightly in the base of a jug with the lime juice.
5. Whisk in the honey and the fine sea salt until fully dissolved; the salt is not optional here, it is what makes the melon taste sweeter and rounder.
6. Pour in the strained melon and cucumber juice, stir well and chill for 30 minutes to let the shiso infuse.
7. Strain the mixture one final time to remove the shiso ribbons, then taste and adjust with a little more lime if the melon was very ripe.
8. Curl a cucumber ribbon inside each of four tall glasses and fill them with ice.
9. Divide the melon base between the glasses, filling each about two-thirds full, then top with chilled sparkling water and stir once gently.
10. Garnish each glass with a whole shiso leaf and a lime wheel, and serve immediately while the bubbles are still lively.
11. Japanese melons are treated less as everyday fruit than as an occasion, sold in department store basements wrapped like jewelry, and that reverence shapes how they are used: minimally, with nothing to distract from the perfume. Shiso is the classic partner, its faint mint and anise edge cutting the melon's sweetness without overwhelming it. This cooler is a farmers-market version of that idea, built for August when melons are heavy, cheap and finally worth drinking rather than slicing.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 112 kcal
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 180mg