KOBAYASHI - MeroMero Hokkaido Melon Sake 720ml
Hokkaido melon, thickened with real fruit and laid over a sake and umeshu base: a melon liqueur that tastes of melon, not sweets.
MeroMero (めろめろ) is a fruit liqueur from Kobayashi Shuzo Honten (小林酒造本店) of Umi, Fukuoka Prefecture. It is made with melon juice from Hokkaido and melon purée from Kumamoto, with a little passion fruit, on a base of sake and umeshu. The purée gives it a soft, thick, pulpy texture. The melon's sweetness comes first, and the plum wine arrives just behind it, which keeps it fresher and less sugary than you might expect. Pour it over ice or lengthen it with soda.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Real melon: made with Hokkaido melon juice and Kumamoto melon purée rather than a flavouring alone
- Thick and pulpy: the purée gives body and a soft texture that stands out on a drinks list
- Not too sweet: the umeshu base adds a light tartness that keeps it refreshing
- Easy to serve: works neat over ice, as a highball, or as a cocktail base with no extra prep
How to Serve
- On the rocks: well chilled over ice, the simplest way to taste the melon
- With soda: mix roughly one to one with soda water for a long, light drink
- Cocktails: a ready-made melon base for spritzes and fruit cocktails
- Temperature: serve at 5 to 8°C, and give the bottle a gentle turn before pouring
Japanese fruit liqueurs have moved a long way beyond umeshu (梅酒), plum wine, and many sake breweries now make them on their own sake or umeshu bases. Hokkaido is Japan's best-known melon country, and melon is one of the country's prized gift fruits, which is why a Hokkaido melon liqueur carries some weight at home. The name plays on the Japanese mero mero (めろめろ), to be smitten or head over heels, and on meron (メロン), melon. Kobayashi Shuzo Honten brews in Umi, a town in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.
What does MeroMero taste like?
Like ripe melon flesh, not melon sweets. The pour is soft and thick from the purée. The melon's natural sweetness and a gentle, almost savoury depth come through first, then the plum wine appears slightly later, adding a light tartness that keeps it refreshing. It is fruity without being sticky. Over ice the texture thins a little and the aroma opens; with soda it becomes a light, fragrant long drink.
Product Details
| Type | Fruit liqueur (リキュール), melon on a sake and umeshu base |
| Brand | MeroMero (めろめろ) |
| Maker | Kobayashi Shuzo Honten (小林酒造本店) |
| Origin | Umi, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Fruit | Hokkaido melon juice, Kumamoto melon purée, passion fruit |
| Alcohol | 8% vol (maker's specification; check the bottle label) |
| Volume | 720ml bottle |
| Best Served | Chilled, 5 to 8°C, on the rocks or with soda |
Is MeroMero a sake?
Not strictly. It is a liqueur: melon juice and purée blended with a base of sake and umeshu, with a little distilled alcohol. In the UK it is often sold alongside sake and plum wine, which is where it belongs on a menu, but it drinks like a fruit liqueur rather than a rice wine.
How should I serve it?
Chill it well. The classic serve is on the rocks in a short glass. For something longer, mix it roughly one to one with soda water. It also works as a base for fruit cocktails, and some people pour it over vanilla ice cream. Give the bottle a gentle turn first, as the fruit purée can settle.
How should I store it after opening?
Keep it in the fridge once opened, tightly capped, and drink it within a few weeks while the melon aroma is fresh. Because it contains fruit purée, the colour and flavour fade faster than a clear spirit. Before opening, store it somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight.
SKU : X0103