Artificial Flavors Free Chilled Cucumber Mint Lemonade
There is something genuinely refreshing about a glass of lemonade that tastes this clean and bright, with no mystery ingredients lurking in the background. Every drop of flavor here comes from real, whole sources — fresh-squeezed lemon juice, blended English cucumber, and a homemade mint simple syrup sweetened with maple syrup instead of anything processed or synthetic. Making your own simple syrup takes just a few minutes on the stovetop, and steeping fresh mint leaves into it gives the whole drink a fragrant, garden-fresh quality that no bottled flavoring could replicate. The cucumber gets blended and strained into the pitcher, adding a subtle coolness and a gorgeous pale green hue that makes this feel almost spa-like. It's the kind of drink that looks impressive at a summer gathering but comes together with surprisingly little effort. Serve it over ice with a few lemon slices and a sprig of mint, and it's as pretty as it is delicious.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the mint simple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
For the lemonade
- 1 medium english cucumber (about 10 oz), peeled and roughly chopped
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
- 2 cups cold water
For serving
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 4 thin lemon slices (optional)
- 4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 1/2 cup water and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup fully dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the mint leaves, and let steep for 10 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and pale green. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the leaves to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
- 2
Place the chopped cucumber in a blender with 1/2 cup of the cold water and blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain the cucumber purée through the fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing firmly with a spoon to extract all the juice; discard the pulp.
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