Midori Melon Liqueur

I was bartending when I met my husband almost 23 years ago. At that time Midori was very popular with our friends and us. One of our favorite recipes that we made is still around, It's called Melonball. It is made with 2 ounces of Midori Melon Liqueur, 1 ounce of Vodka and 4 ounces of orange juice. Midori is 20% ABV (alcohol by volume).

The look:

You can't miss Midori. The 750ml beautifully textured, clear glass bottle I have at home shows the green liquid.

If I didn't know how good it was I might think it looked medicinal or perhaps thinking positively I might think of mint juleps. It has the Suntory crest on paper saying Midori melon liqueur on it. Under the twist off top we are told that it is original and imported.

The color doesn't get there naturally. It contains "FD and C Yellow number 5 and certified color." (From the bottle.)

This size sells for about $17.00.

The source:

Originally from Japan, Midori which means green in Japanese, has been produced in Mexico since 1987. It was developed by Suntory and launched in the United States in 1978. It is now available in more than 30 countries imported by Santori International Corporation.

The aroma:

Think of the sweetest honeydew melon with a squirt of alcohol and you get the smell of Midori. It smells so delicious I want to spray it on me, wash with it or take a bath in it. However I will settle for drinking it. If a smell can be light and cool then Midori is.

The pour:

Pouring it into a short textured glass with ice it shows several shades of green. Depending on how I hold it up to the light I see everything to the lightest of melon colors to the green of a lifesaver. In the right glass it looks beautiful.

The nose in the glass gives off a heavier smell of alcohol than in the bottle. Gone is the very sweet smell although melon certainly comes through.

The Flavor:

The taste is melon though like the pour there is a sense of alcohol in spite of the low level at 20% ABV. This is not a liqueur I prefer to drink on its own.

The alcohol isn't overwhelming in my throat but there is a sense of the warmth of it going down.

The aftertaste is sweet and refreshing.

The analysis:

A one ounce shot of Midori Melon Liqueur has 79 kcal, no fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, no protein, cholesterol, fiber or sodium.

Using it:

There are about 300 drinks made with Midori. As I was doing my usual research I kept reading that Midori is a young adult's drink. I can understand that thinking back to my early 30s. However I still like it. We serve it during the summer and now and then my husband and I have a Melonball to reminisce.

In the early 80s drinks such as sex on the beach didn't exist. This is made with 1 ounce of Midori, 1/2 ounce of vodka, 1/2 ounce of raspberry liqueur, 2 ounces of pineapple juice and 2 ounces of cranberry juice. Pour this over ice and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

I also never had sex with an alligator back then. Take sweet and sour mix and put it in a shaker with ice and strain the mix. Layer 1/2 ounce of raspberry liquor and 1/2 ounce of Jagermeister herbal liqueur. Serve this in a martini glass.

Midori, Jo and the rating:

I like Midori but perhaps my tastes have grown up because I don't find myself reaching for it as much as I used to. It makes a nice cocktail on a hot summer night sitting on our balcony on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There is something romantic about Midori. Perhaps it is the sweetness, lightness and the ease of drinking it.

This is not a drink I would serve with a meal. If anything I would serve it with fruit during dessert but my experience has been to drink it by itself. I love anything sweet so I can picture this with chocolate covered strawberries where the tart flavor of the strawberries mixes with the sweet taste of the chocolate and the Midori.

Though I may not drink Midori like I used to I still love it and think it rates 5 stars.




Please drink responsibly.