Cucumber and Mint Cooler
Cucumber has one quirk in a drink: its juice stays lively for a couple of hours and then turns flat and slightly stale. So the lemon and mint syrup can be made well ahead, while the cucumber is blended at the last minute. The difference between fresh and yesterday's is immediate.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 75 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Honey works instead of sugar, but dissolve it in warm water separately or it settles at the bottom.
Makes: about 1.5 l, 6 glasses
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Make a mint syrup
Dissolve the sugar in 200 ml of hot water, take it off the heat, drop in half the mint and leave for an hour. Hot syrup draws out far more aroma than cold water.
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Step 2: Juice the lemons
Squeeze three lemons and strain out the pips. Mix the juice into the cooled syrup, lifting the spent mint out first.
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Step 3: Blend the cucumbers
Cut the cucumbers into chunks and blend with 100 ml of cold water until smooth. Keep thin skin on; peel thick or waxed skin, which tastes bitter.
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Step 4: Strain it
Push the cucumber pulp through a sieve, pressing lightly with a spoon. A little haze is fine; it is the pulp that makes the drink feel slippery.
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Step 5: Combine
Mix the cucumber juice, the lemon-mint base and the remaining cold water. Taste as you go — lemons vary, and you may want a little more syrup.
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Step 6: Serve immediately
Pour over ice, add fresh mint leaves and a few thin cucumber ribbons. This drink is at its best within the first hour.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Smooth greenhouse cucumbers give more juice and less bitterness than thick-skinned field ones.
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Variation
Replace a third of the water with sparkling water, topped up in the glass, for a livelier version.
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Swap
Honey works instead of sugar, but dissolve it in warm water separately or it settles at the bottom.
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Storage
One day in the fridge; after that the cucumber fades. The mint syrup keeps a week, so make that part ahead.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 75 kcal | 450 kcal |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19 g | 114 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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