Cucumber Limeade Soda Recipe

Make simple lime cordial

Zest one of the limes until you have about 1 tablespoon of zest. In a small saucepan combine 0.5 cups water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Add the lime zest and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear (do not boil vigorously). Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes to extract the zest oils.

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the zest to extract flavor. Discard zest solids. When syrup has cooled to room temperature, stir in 1 cup fresh lime juice. Taste and adjust: add up to 1–2 tablespoons more sugar dissolved if too tart, or a teaspoon of water if too sweet. Chill the cordial until cold. This yields about 1 1/4 cups cordial.

Puree and strain cucumber

Trim the cucumber ends and coarsely chop the cucumber into pieces. Place the cucumber in a blender and blitz until smooth (about 30 seconds). If you prefer a lighter texture, reserve 2 tablespoons of the cucumber puree to muddle later and strain the rest.

Strain the cucumber puree through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible. You should get roughly 3/4 to 1 cup cucumber juice from one medium cucumber. If using mint for extra aroma, lightly bruise (clap) 4 mint leaves and add to the strained cucumber juice to steep for 5 minutes, then remove the leaves.

Build each limeade soda

Fill a serving glass with 6 oz (about 3/4 cup) ice. Add 2.5 tablespoons (about 37 ml) of the chilled lime cordial and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the strained cucumber juice into the glass.

Top with 8 fl oz (about 1 cup) chilled club soda or sparkling water. Gently stir once to combine, being careful not to flatten the soda. Taste and adjust: add an additional 1 teaspoon cordial for more sweetness or 1 tablespoon cucumber juice for more vegetal brightness.

Garnish with a lime slice on the rim and 2 bruised mint leaves or a thin cucumber ribbon. Serve immediately with a straw.