Cucumber Mint Limeade

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A pitcher-sized limeade that tastes like the inside of a cucumber: cool, green and barely sweet. Blended cucumber is strained for clarity, then balanced against a quick mint syrup steeped off the heat so the herb stays bright green instead of turning hay-colored. Sharp fresh lime juice keeps it firmly on the tart side of refreshing.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves and tender stems
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 2 lb English cucumbers (about 2 large)
• 1 cup fresh lime juice (from 8 to 10 limes)
• 3 cups cold water

• ice cubes
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin coins
• 1 small bunch fresh mint sprigs
• chilled sparkling water, optional

Instructions

1. Make the syrup: combine the sugar, 3/4 cup water and the pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring, and cook just until the sugar fully dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Let the syrup cool for 3 minutes (adding mint to boiling syrup dulls the color and pulls out bitterness), then stir in the 1 1/2 cups mint, pressing the leaves under the surface with a spoon. Steep 20 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar, pressing gently on the leaves. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes, or set the jar in an ice bath for 10 minutes.
3. Prep the cucumbers: trim the ends and peel one of them if the skin is thick or waxed (leave the skin on English cucumbers for a greener color). Cut into 1-inch chunks — no need to seed.
4. Blend the cucumber chunks with 1 cup of the cold water on high speed for 45 to 60 seconds, until completely liquefied and frothy.
5. Strain the cucumber puree through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large pitcher, stirring and pressing with a flexible spatula for about 2 minutes to extract all the juice. Discard the pulp. You should have roughly 3 cups of pale green juice. For an especially clear limeade, strain a second time through a coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth.
6. Add the lime juice, the remaining 2 cups cold water and 3/4 cup of the chilled mint syrup to the pitcher. Stir well for 15 seconds, then taste: add more syrup 1 tablespoon at a time until it is tart-forward but not puckering. If the limes were very juicy and it tastes sharp, thin with up to 1/2 cup more cold water.
7. Chill the pitcher at least 1 hour, until 40°F or colder. Stir again just before serving, since the cucumber juice settles.
8. Fill tall glasses with ice, add a few cucumber coins and a lime slice to each, and pour in the limeade. Clap a mint sprig between your palms to release its oils and drop it in. For a spritz version, fill glasses two-thirds with limeade and top with chilled sparkling water.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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