Cucumber Honey Lemonade Recipe

Prep cucumber

Wash the cucumber. If the skin is waxed or bitter, peel part or all of it. Roughly chop into pieces about 1-inch so they blend easily.

Puree and strain

Place the chopped cucumber in a blender and puree until smooth (about 30–45 seconds). Pour the puree through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and press with the back of a spoon or a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible — you should get roughly 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cucumber juice. Discard the solids.

Make honey syrup

In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons honey with 3 tablespoons hot (not boiling) water. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved and you have a pourable syrup. Taste and reserve the optional additional honey (up to 2 tbs) if you think you'll need extra sweetness after mixing.

Combine the strained cucumber juice with the honey syrup, stir to incorporate, and set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the lemonade base.

Make the lemonade base

In a pitcher, combine the fresh lemon juice (0.75 cups), 3 cups cold water and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

Add the cucumber-honey mixture to the pitcher and stir well. Taste and adjust: if too tart, stir in the reserved additional honey (up to 2 tbs) a teaspoon at a time until balanced; if too strong, add more cold water, 2–4 tablespoons at a time.

Chill the combined lemonade for 5–10 minutes if time allows, or proceed immediately to serving over ice for the coldest drink.

Fill two glasses with ice (about 1 cup of ice per glass). Pour the cucumber honey lemonade over the ice, dividing evenly between glasses.

Garnish each glass with 2 cucumber slices and 1 lemon slice. Serve immediately and stir once before drinking.