Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

Make cucumber puree

Place the peeled and roughly chopped cucumber in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of the cold water to help it blend. Puree until very smooth, about 30–45 seconds. If you prefer a smoother texture, strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve or nut milk bag into a bowl, pressing or squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard pulp or save for smoothies.

Prepare simple syrup

In a small saucepan combine granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves and syrup is clear, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (Alternatively, you can shake sugar and warm water in a jar until dissolved.)

Combine lemonade

In a large pitcher, combine the strained cucumber juice (or blended cucumber if you kept it), the fresh lemon juice (1 cup), the cooled simple syrup, and the remaining cold water (about 3 1/4 cups if you used 3/4 cup for the syrup). Stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity: add more simple syrup for sweetness, more lemon juice for tartness, or up to 1/8 tsp fine salt to round flavors.

Chill and serve

Add ice to the pitcher or fill serving glasses with ice cubes. Pour cucumber lemonade over ice. Add mint leaves to the pitcher or bruise a few leaves and place in each glass for aroma. Garnish with cucumber and lemon slices on the rim or floated in the drink. Serve immediately. Keeps refrigerated in a covered pitcher for up to 3 days; stir before serving, as separation may occur.