Cucumber Lemonade ♥

Cucumber Lemonade @ AVeggieVenture.com, a simple, refreshing summer drink. A great way to use giant cucumbers from the garden.
graphic button small size size 10 A simple, refreshing summer drink, just cucumber water, lemon juice and simple syrup. Love the pretty green color! graphic button small size size 10

~recipe updated from the Recipe Box, first posted 2006!~
~more recently updated recipes~

"St Louis is a very green city," new friends from New York remarked during a recent house-hunting visit. Then without realizing beforehand, I proceeded to prove them right in an unexpected way, by serving a "very green meal", starting with an unusual tasting, surprisingly delicious and completely refreshing cucumber lemonade. (Those new friends? Nupur from One Hot Stove and her lovely husband Vasant!)

RECIPE for CUCUMBER LEMONADE

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes about 3-1/2 cups

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 large cucumbers, stem and flower ends sliced off, skins on, cut in large chunks
Juice of 2 large lemons, about 6 tablespoons
Cold club soda, to serve
Lemon and cucumber slices, to serve

Make a Simple Syrup. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Let boil softly for about 3 minutes.

Juice the Cucumbers. In a food processor, process the whole cucumbers, until very smooth and watery. Press cucumber purée through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, really pressing. You'll want about 2 cups cucumber juice.

Combine and Chill. Combine the simple syrup, cucumber juice and lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy! To serve, fill champagne or other glasses 1/4 to 1/2 full with mixture. Fill with cold club soda. If desired, garnish each glass with rounds of lemon and/or cucumber.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
graphic button small size size 10 CUCUMBERS (2006) I used English cucumbers with their tender, very green skins. The cucumber juice was very very green! (2015) I used two large cucumbers from the garden and tested the water two ways, with and without the cucumber seeds. I much preferred the cucumber juice made with seeds, the color was prettier and the taste more cucumber-y.
graphic button small size size 10 STRAINING THE CUCUMBER JUICE (2006) I used this chinois / china cap but needed to use a fine-mesh strainer too. The chinois does do an excellent job extracting all the liquid.



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MORE FAVORITE COLD DRINKS for SUMMER

~ Lemon Mint Cucumber Water ~
~ Parade-Day Gin & Tonics ~
~ Jealous Marys ~
~ more recipes for drinks & smoothies ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade ~
My Perfect (Unsweet, Unboozy) Sangria ~
~ Cold-Brewed Coffee ~
~ more recipes for beverage & drinks ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

COOKING IN SEASON: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Jealous Marys Honey-Pepper Beets Beets with Caraway Chiogga Beets with Horseradish Cream Cucumber Lemonade Kellogg’s Breakfast Tomatoes Cream of Zucchini Soup Fresh Three-Bean Salad Homemade Zucchini Relish (<< works with "giant" zucchini!) Jerusalem Salad Grilled Pepper & Tomato Salad Never Take a Good Tomato for Granted: Twelve Favorite Tomato Recipes Tomato Smoothie

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2006 & 2015


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I love it! What a fabulous color, and I'm so intrigued by the ingredients. I've added it to the list and can't wait to try it!

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  2. Oh I bet that's really good! cucumber and lemon are both so refreshing, I bet they are great in tandem.

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  3. that's wild - I'll try it!

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  4. Yum! My massage therapist serves that instead of the regular bottle water after a massage, with the exception that there's no sugar. I like it that way. Both are good. I like the taste of the sweet at times and of the clearness of the unsweet too. Good job entertaining!

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  5. I too find it beautiful and intriquing! I will have to try that.

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  6. Whoah - most interesting indeed! (Have just bookmarked the recipe)

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  7. beautiful color1! cucumbers are so healthy and cooling for the body...I'd add some salt pepper and eat them just like that...they have such a nice flavor, but your lemondae sounds a better way to intake these!!:)

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna