Cantaloupe Basil Float – Fresh cantaloupe is blended with basil, Riesling wine, and club soda and then poured over lemon sorbet
Four days into July and I’ve already got two boozy frozen treats for you. How did you get so lucky??
Earlier this week, I kicked off National Ice Cream Month with this sangria sorbet. Now, I’ve got a new frozen treat that I’ve yet to feature on this blog – an ice cream float. But not just any ice cream float…it’s a boozy one!!
Check out my Cantaloupe Basil Float!
How is this float made
An ice cream float is historically made with vanilla ice cream topped with a soda. It serves as the inspiration for today’s post but the ingredients are very much different.
In this recipe, the float is made with lemon sorbet topped with a homemade cantaloupe bail soda and Riesling wine. The fruit-based flavors make this perfect to drink during the incredibly hot summer days. And it’s much easier to make than you think!
Homemade Cantaloupe Basil Soda
To make this soda, first you have to chill some fresh cantaloupe. Once it’s chilled, you add it to a blender with torn basil leaves, club soda, and your favorite Riesling wine. Riesling is a wine that is on the sweet end of the spectrum. It works super well in this drink because it adds a hint of flavor without overpowering the other ingredients.
Assembling the Float
Once the soda is made, you’re ready to assemble the floats! First, scoop lemon sorbet into each glass. Then, pour the soda over the sorbet and voila – you have a float! Finish off the float with a garnish of your choosing. I used a chunk of cantaloupe and a basil leaf and placed them on a skewer.
Tips & Tricks
As always, here are a couple tips to ensure you get this recipe exactly right:
- It’s important that the soda ingredients are kept cold so that they don’t melt down the sorbet in the float too quickly. At the very least, the cantaloupe needs to be refrigerated. But you can always use the freezer to speed up this process.
- If you’d like to make this drink ahead of time, you should make the soda mixture without adding the soda. As you know, the soda will lose carbonation over time. Therefore, if you make it ahead of time, it will go flat before you have the chance to enjoy the float. As such, make the mixture ahead of time, refrigerate it until time to serve, and then add in the soda before serving.
Cantaloupe Basil Float
Ingredients
- 2 cups cantaloupe chunks chilled
- 1 1/2 cups Riesling wine divided
- 3/4 cup club soda
- 8 leaves fresh basil
- 3 cups lemon sorbet
Instructions
- Place chilled cantaloupe, 3/4 cup of wine, club soda, and torn basil leaves into blender. Blend until almost smooth.
- Scoop sorbet into 6 glasses, 1/2 cup per glass. Pour cantaloupe mixture over each glass of sorbet. Top each glass with a shot of Riesling wine. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pin for later:
More drinks you’ll love:
Sangria Sorbet
Peach Riesling Sorbet
Wine Milkshakes
This cantaloupe basil float sounds incredibly refreshing, especially with the Riesling! I love the idea of incorporating basil into a drink like this – it’s such an unexpected but delicious flavor combination. I’m definitely going to have to try this recipe before summer ends!
This Cantaloupe Basil Float sounds absolutely divine! The combination of fresh cantaloupe, basil, and Riesling is so creative. I can’t wait to try this refreshing drink, especially with the summer heat!
This Cantaloupe Basil Float sounds incredibly refreshing! I love the combination of cantaloupe and basil, and adding Riesling is brilliant. I’m definitely going to try this recipe for a summer treat.
This cantaloupe basil float sounds absolutely divine! I love the combination of fruity and herbal flavors, especially with the addition of Riesling. I’m always looking for refreshing summer drink ideas, and this one is definitely going on my list to try.
This looks absolutely refreshing! I love the mix of cantaloupe and basil — such a unique combo. Perfect drink for a hot summer afternoon.
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Never would have thought of such a combination, but these look amazing!
These are so pretty! And cantaloupe and basil are such a good combo and make for a unique drink for sure.
Oh wow, I’ve never had anything like this! These flavors looks so delicious, and I can’t wait to try this refreshing drink.
I have never had a basil float and it sure does sound interesting!
This sounds SO refreshing! Looks like I’ll be buying cantaloupe this weekend! YUM!
Holy smokes! This was a perfect drink for my last get together!
OMG… cantaloup is my favorite and this is absolutely fabulous!
This is so very refresing. I can almost taste it.