Summer Sipper Cocktail/Mocktail with Cucumber, Lime and Elderflower

Beat the heat with a drink that’s as cool as a cucumber! This summer 2024 sipper is all about refreshing cucumber, tart lime, and a touch of floral sweetness from elderflower syrup. It’s perfect for a sophisticated cocktail or enjoyed as a mocktail (virgin cocktail), ensuring everyone can enjoy it.

Since it’s infinitely scalable, you can also make this by the pitcher full — because let’s be honest, this drink is so thirst-quenching, you’ll want to.

Also try my recipes for:

Arliano Update (Aggiornamento Arliano):

At this point everything is planted for our summer garden 2024. The only tasks left to do are monitoring watering and weeding. Typically, I’m a bit fanatical about weeding at the beginning of each season. This year I’ve decided I’m just not going to do it. You can’t make me. Ok, well, I’ll do it where they are encroaching vegetables, but no more. In other news, the renovation for our rental house is set to begin mid-July, but likely a bit sooner. We’ve cleared out all the “stuff” we’ve been storing and it’s ready for the workers to demolish just about everything inside.

The first two baby zucchini to arrive.

___________________________

Did you enjoy reading or making the recipe from this post? If so, please consider giving it a “like” or a comment. It would be nice to know you are out there and that my posts connect with you.

Summer Sipper 2024: Cocktail/Mocktail with Cucumber, lime and Elderflower

  • Servings: 4, super scalable
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber, about 8- to 9-inches (20 – 23 cm)
  • 4 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) elderflower syrup (IKEA is a great resource for this labeled as Elderflower drink concentrate. Also known as “Dryck Flader”!). Adjust up or down per your tastes
  • 4 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) freshly squeezed lime juice Adjust up or down per your tastes
  • 4 cups (24 ounces) plain seltzer water or club soda
  • 4 ounces gin (OPTIONAL)
  • Potential garnishes: thinly sliced ribbons of cucumber, lime wedges or sprigs of mint
  • Ice, as needed

Directions

  1. Peel the cucumber. Or, don’t. It’s your choice. If you want to make a garnish, now is the time to use a vegetable peeler and shave off thin slices and set them aside. (Alternatively lime wedges or mint sprigs make good garnishes.) Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds. Finely mince the remaining cucumber and place it into a cocktail shaker or other container with a lid.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients to the cocktail shaker, or other container, along with a handful of ice cubes. Shake vigorously for a good 30 seconds (Either count or set a timer — a full 30 seconds makes a big difference.). Strain and pour into glasses filled with ice and garnish. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want a more pronounced cucumber taste, either place all the ingredients (minus the ice) into a blender and blend until smooth. Strain very well to remove the cucumber pulp). Or, let the ingredients (minus the ice) sit for 30 minutes before shaking.
Unknown's avatar

Author: gregnelsoncooks

Visit weekly for original and adapted recipes as well as cooking tips to make your kitchen life easier — and more delicious! I’ll include simple, straight forward instructions along with recipes that are truly worth your time making. And, recipes that elevate the familiar and introduce you to the new and unexpected.

5 thoughts

      1. I do! I’m blessed with two big linden trees. The smell is divine and the syrup is amazing. Here’s how I do it:

        A healthy 1/2 cup of water

        1 heaping cup of sugar 

        The juice of 1 or 2 lemons

        1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups freshly picked linden flowers

        Set the linden flowers down somewhere outside so any visiting critters can crawl away.

        Heat the other ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Let cool.

        Remove any leaves from the linden flowers (don’t wash them or you’ll lose some flavor). Put the flowers into a jar and pour the syrup over the top. Stir to make sure the liquid covers the flowers.

        Cover and refrigerate for two days. 

        Filter the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, giving the flowers a good squeeze to get out every drop of juice.

        The syrup will keep for several months in closed jars or bottles in the fridge. You can also freeze it and defrost it in winter to have happy memories of warmer days.

        Like

Leave a Reply.