Cucumber Basil Cooler mocktail recipe
Salted cucumber juice, lime and basil aroma in a clean, pale-green highball.
Method: Build · Glass: Highball glass · Time: 12 minutes · Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 6 thin rounds English cucumber
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- ¼ oz simple syrup
- 4 oz chilled club soda
How to make it
- Toss cucumber rounds with salt and rest for 10 minutes in a fine sieve over a bowl.
- Press gently to collect the cucumber juice; do not force the pulp through.
- Add 1½ oz cucumber juice, lime and syrup to a highball over fresh ice.
- Top with cold soda, lift once, then add the cucumber ribbon and a slapped basil leaf.
Garnish
A cucumber ribbon and single basil leaf
Why this balance works
Cucumber is mostly water, so the small salted rest is what makes its flavour show up after soda and ice are added. Lime gives it a line and a quarter ounce of syrup keeps the result from tasting raw. Basil belongs at the top of the glass, where its scent is clear; muddling it through the drink makes the colour dull and can turn the finish vegetal.
Technique to keep
Salted cucumber is a simple way to get a more concentrated juice without a juicer. The salt pulls moisture from the slices; a gentle press gives you the clean liquid while leaving the cloudiest pulp behind. Use only a pinch and do not add more salt later. This method is different from a muddled cooler because it keeps the highball visually clean and lets the basil remain an aromatic garnish.
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