Blender-Frothed Mint Ayran with Cucumber Ice

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The salty, tangy Turkish yogurt cooler that grill houses pour alongside charred kebabs — whipped in a blender until a thick cap of foam rises to the top. Cucumber ice cubes keep it arctic cold without watering down the yogurt, and a pinch of crushed dried mint blooms in the salt as it chills. Ten minutes of work, and it drinks like something poured from a chilled copper jug.

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber, coarsely chopped (about 10 oz)
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 3 cups whole-milk plain yogurt, well chilled (not Greek-style)
• 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp dried mint, crushed between your fingers
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional, for mild yogurt)

• 1/4 tsp dried mint, for dusting
• Cucumber spears or thin ribbons
• 4 sprigs fresh mint (optional)
• Sumac or coarsely ground black pepper, for the rim (optional)

• 1 cup chilled sparkling water or club soda

Instructions

1. At least 4 hours ahead, make the cucumber ice: blend the chopped cucumber with 3/4 cup cold water and a pinch of salt until liquefied, about 30 seconds. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the pulp with a spoon, and pour the pale green liquid into an ice cube tray (you'll get about 12 cubes). Freeze until solid, 4 hours or overnight.
2. Chill four tall glasses in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Cold glassware is the difference between an ayran that stays frothy and one that goes flat in a minute.
3. Put the 1 teaspoon dried mint in a small bowl with the 1 teaspoon salt and crush them together with the back of a spoon for 10 seconds. This bruises the mint so its oils release into the yogurt instead of floating on top as dusty flecks.
4. Add the chilled yogurt, 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water, and the mint-salt mixture to a blender. Blend on medium-high for a full 60 seconds — you want it visibly aerated, with a 1-inch head of foam climbing the sides of the jar. Do not blend past 90 seconds; overworked yogurt can turn thin and slightly grainy.
5. Taste. It should read clearly savory and salty, not just tangy — add salt in 1/8-teaspoon increments and pulse to combine. If your yogurt is mild, add the lemon juice for the sour bite ayran is supposed to have.
6. Transfer to a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes to let the salt and mint fully bloom. The foam will settle into a soft layer; that's fine.
7. Just before serving, whisk the pitcher hard for 15 seconds (or pour it back into the blender and pulse 10 seconds) to rebuild the froth. For the sparkling version, gently stir in the chilled sparkling water at this point instead of whisking.
8. Drop 3 cucumber ice cubes into each frozen glass. Pour the ayran down the side of the glass first, then straight into the center from a few inches up to raise a thick foam cap.
9. Dust each glass with a pinch of dried mint, add a cucumber spear and a mint sprig, and serve immediately with anything grilled, spicy, or heavily spiced.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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