How to make cucumber lemonade?
In the summer heat, refreshing drinks from fresh fruits and vegetables are very popular.Cold lemonade, which, as a rule, is made from citruses, adding some other fruits gives a special pleasure. A novelty for many was cucumber lemonade, which is just as refreshing as fruit. In this article we will talk about the benefits of the original drink, its types and methods of preparation.
Special features
As you know, cucumber is 97% water, including ingredients such as iodine and potassium, necessary for any organism. The benefits of cucumber lemonade are proven by nutritionists, because the vegetable provides healthy digestion and cleans the body well, while improving metabolism.
The drink has a pleasant taste with citrus motifs. All components are ideally combined with each other in taste and also have a healing function. Children have a rather positive attitude to cucumber lemonade, which pleases many parents, because home drink is always preferable to the store because of its benefits.
Most adherents of a healthy lifestyle or people who want to lose a few extra pounds know firsthand about the benefits of cucumber lemonade, because it not only has a beneficial effect on metabolism, but also helps to lose weight. Some drink this drink in the morning on an empty stomach, thereby triggering internal processes and filling the stomach. Sometimes a glass of cucumber juice is an obligatory aperitif before each meal.
Nutritionists recommend holding weekly fasting days on drinks from vegetables or fruits, including cucumber.
If the liquid is prepared from summer vegetables, rinse them well enough and you can immediately begin the cooking process. If you want to make lemonade in the winter, they buy cucumbers at the supermarket, but in this case they will have to be soaked in water for two or three hours to get the most out of all hazardous substances and nitrates.
When buying, it is recommended to give preference to small gherkins of light green color, since dark and large foods contain less vitamins and more nitrates. A couple of hours before cooking, you can put water and vegetables in the fridge so that the ready-made lemonade does not have to be cooled. Some add prefab ice cubes. They can be made from mineral water or herbal infusions, a similar component will give the taste a little piquancy.
Recipes
There are several ways to cook cucumber lemonade at home, each of which is good in its own way.
Lemon Mint
This type is the most popular and easiest to prepare. Ingredients:
- 1 liter of mineral water;
- six small cucumbers;
- one medium lemon;
- one and a half tablespoons of honey;
- a small bunch of mint.
At the discretion, you can independently adjust the ratio of sweet and sour. To begin with, rinse the cucumbers in cold water, peel and cut into small pieces. Further, all the ingredients are placed in a blender and crushed to a puree-like consistency. When you get the desired consistency, add mineral water and again mix everything. Before serving, strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove excess flesh and then pour into cocktail glasses.
The final touch will be the decoration of each portion with a leaf of mint and thinly sliced cucumber slices, if desired, you can add ice cubes.
With lime
This recipe may seem similar to the previous one, but it is not. Ingredients are as follows:
- liter of mineral water;
- 3 small cucumbers;
- 3 limes;
- 2 tablespoons of sugar (the amount of the ingredient can be adjusted as desired);
- sprigs of mint or lemon balm
First of all, put a pot of water on the fire. While the liquid is boiling, you need to prepare the remaining components. Rinse cucumbers in cold water, peel and dice. Ready vegetable folded in a blender, add strained lime juice, sugar and mint.All carefully move and add to boiled water, then thoroughly strain the mixture and pour into glasses, adding in each a sprig of mint as decoration.
Basilicum
This recipe does not require grinding ingredients blender, which is its undoubted advantage in comparison with the previous ones. The drink can be made in minutes. For it will need:
- 3 cucumbers;
- 2 basil branches;
- a quarter of lemon;
- 1.5 teaspoons of sugar;
- ice cubes;
- 60 grams of sparkling water.
Cucumber and lemon cut into slices, put in a glass, add basil leaves and thoroughly knead the ingredients so that they release the juice. Next, you need to pour sugar and pour half the water, then re-knead the contents and pour the remaining water. If desired, add ice cubes.
Ginger
This recipe will appeal to lovers of sour-sweet drinks with oriental motifs. Ingredients:
- liter of mineral water;
- ginger;
- 2 tablespoons of honey;
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Ginger, honey and lemon juice crushed in a blender, then pour the water and mix the components thoroughly. Strain the composition through a fine sieve and learn lemonade to pour into portion glasses.
Whatever recipe for cucumber lemonade is chosen for cooking, the drink will surely bring freshness, pleasure and pleasant taste, which are so necessary on a hot summer day or a hot evening. In addition, water from cucumber will improve the body and contribute to the improvement of the bowels.
See how to make cucumber lemonade in the next video.