Crema Alpina Melon Liqueur

Crema Alpina Melone, Summer in Cream

Marzadro’s Crema Alpina Melone is a melon cream liqueur: cream made from fresh Trentino milk with melon, soft and delicate in taste. At 17% ABV, it is light enough for hot days. Presented here in a 700 ml bottle.

Crema Alpina Melone is the most summery variety in Marzadro’s cream liqueur range – and the most unusual. Melon in cream might sound daring at first, but it works for the same reason as the classic pairing of melon and prosciutto: sweetness and fat belong together. The base is provided by cream from fresh Trentino milk, with the alcohol content remaining at a mild 17% ABV.

In the glass, the Crema Alpina al Melone displays a delicate orange hue; on the palate, it is soft and delicate, and the melon remains bright and clear. A liqueur that tastes like July.

The most unusual of the eight

Nut, coffee, lemon – these are common in cream liqueurs. Melon is the outlier.

And it is precisely this one that most clearly shows what the cream from the Alpine valleys can do: it takes a fruit that is ephemeral on its own and gives it substance. Melon is almost just water and aroma; nestled in cream, it acquires a body it wouldn't otherwise have. The Marzadro family describes their cream liqueurs as a typical expression of the Alpine valleys – with the melon, the south comes into play.

If you know the range and want to take the leap, you should grab this one. If you don't know them, this variety offers an unusual but friendly entry point – sweet, bright, without any rough edges.

It is remarkable that a house that has stood for grappa for over seventy years takes such risks with its liqueurs. A distillery in the Adige Valley doesn’t have to make a melon liqueur – the fact that they do says something about their passion for their craft.

The aperitif for hot days

Well-chilled, the Melone is less of a digestif and more of a summer drink – on the terrace, in the afternoon, when it’s too warm for anything else.

A splash over ice cubes, plus soda or Prosecco, and you have an aperitif that looks like a sunset. Poured over vanilla ice cream, it becomes a dessert; in a cocktail, it replaces melon liqueur and cream in one go. And if you serve it with prosciutto – yes, it works: melon and prosciutto, just thought of in reverse.

Eight flavors on one base

All Crema Alpina liqueurs share the same cream base and the same 17% ABV – what distinguishes them is the aroma on top.

In addition to the melon, there is Pistacchio with pistachio, Nocciola with hazelnut, Caffè with coffee, Limone with lemon, strawberry with wild strawberries, marzipan, and salted caramel. Together with Limone and strawberry, the melon forms the summer trio of the range. You can find all eight in the Crema Alpina Liqueurs collection.

Production takes place in Nogaredo in the Adige Valley, not far from Lake Garda, where Sabina Marzadro began distilling in 1949. Today, Andrea, Anna, and Stefano Marzadro run the house as a family business – those vacationing at the lake can visit the distillery.

Warm weather and a spot in the shade

At 8 to 10 degrees Celsius from the refrigerator, the Crema Alpina Melone shows its freshness – unlike the house's grappa, cream liqueurs belong there. Once opened, it will keep for a few weeks, though in summer, it rarely lasts that long. Neat, over ice, or in an aperitif: this liqueur needs nothing more than warm weather and a spot in the shade.