This fat-washed cocktail captures the Italian pairing of prosciutto and melon

A summer cocktail recipe from New York's Bottino restaurant

By Georgina Torbet Updated August 7, 2024

prosciutto melon cocktail bottino infused rum and cantaloupe juice 1 — Bottino

The trend of fat washing spirits continues — as a way to impart savory flavors and also to add a rich mouthfeel to a spirit, it makes for a great addition to a more complex cocktail. Personally I love savory-focused cocktails, as a reaction against too-sweet offerings and a reminder that drinks can run the gamut of flavors with just as much dexterity as foods.

But mixing with savory flavors can be a bit of a challenge, as you need to create balance between savory and sweet. A new cocktail being debuted at New York’s Bottino restaurant shows off how to achieve this balance, by combining proscuitto-washed rum with sweet summer melon. Prosciutto and melon are a classic summer pairing for an Italian appetizer, bringing together smokey meat and juicy fruit, but I’ve never seen them in a cocktail before.

The recipe was inspired by the Italian tradition of aperitivo hour, when people get together to enjoy a light drink and some small nibbles before dinner. If you’re in New York you can try out the cocktail at the restaurant, but if not then you can try out the recipe below to recreate the experience at home.

Prosciutto-Infused Rum and Cantaloupe Juice Cocktail

By Head Bartender, Nam Lee, at Bottino

Ingredients:

2 oz San Daniele Prosciutto fat washed Jamaican plantation rum
1 1/4 oz summer cantaloupe melon
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup

Method:

Fat wash the prosciutto in rum for least 3 hours, then strain. Combine the ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake well. Strain into a glass with ice, then garnish with cubed summer melon, rolled prosciutto, and a dehydrated lime wheel.

Topics

Liquor, Beer, Wine & Drinks

Georgina Torbet

Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…

Food & Drink

How to make the classic gin fizz cocktail

Everything you need to know about the gin fizz cocktail

Bartender adding orange zest juice to a Gin Fizz cocktail in the glass on the bar counter

Before vitamins were infused into nearly everything we eat, Scurvy was a constant threat. Particularly if you were on a long-distance voyage across open waters. So, before your daily chewable was available, sailors turned to a surprising remedy: the gin fizz. That's right, a cocktail.
A brief history of the gin fizz

While there is no clear date as to when the gin fizz was invented, it is believed that gin dates back to the Middle Ages, when herbal infusions and botanical blends were widely used for their health benefits. In the 1800s, sailors then began mixing this botanical spirit with lime juice in order to prevent scurvy.

Food & Drink

Let bourbon warm you up in all new ways with these delicious fall drinks

These are the best bourbon cocktails to make this fall

Smoked Old Fashioned

Let's be real — bourbon is pretty wonderful any time of the year. A nice smooth bourbon is a great sipper on a night out on the town or the sweet goodness of a classic mint julep while you're enjoying the Kentucky Derby. But come fall, there's just something especially delicious about this spicy-sweet nectar. Warming to the fingertips, bourbon's characteristic flavor is not only luscious on its own, but it is also complemented beautifully by other warm and cozy fall flavors when mixed into fall cocktails. These are a few of our absolute favorite fall cocktails with bourbon.
Maple Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail

The first entry on our list of best fall cocktails blends fall and winter flavors with its decadent combination of maple and cranberry, this is a cocktail you can enjoy straight on through to Christmas. We adore how the acidic burst of cranberry is accented and tamed with the rich coating of maple and the nuttiness of bourbon.

Food & Drink

Aperol and tequila: The perfect fall-friendly drink combination

Need to transition your tequila drinks into the fall season? Look no further than Aperol

Aperol spritz

As the warmth of summer has faded into the cooler weather, as it always does, many people think the changing of the seasons means fewer frozen margaritas. And while that might be true, just because it's not frozen drink weather, it doesn't mean you have to give up tequila. The agave spirit can transition into fall seamlessly with the bittersweet touch of Aperol, among a few other things.

First, a bit of history. Aperol is more than a century old, a famously red-orange bitter apéritif born in northern Italy. It's a lighter cousin of Campari, both in terms of hue and alcoholic heat. Mostly, it's incorporated into a spritz. Yet, Aperol works wonders when it's combined with tequila, especially as you look to add a little more depth and weight to your drinks as autumn arrives.