Non-alcoholic recipe
Cucumber Basil Smash
Strained cucumber juice, fresh lemon and gently steeped basil syrup make a crisp, lightly sparkling cooler.
Ingredients
- 60 ml freshly extracted strained cucumber juice
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml basil syrup (1:1 sugar-water base)
- 60 ml chilled plain soda water
Preparation
For the basil syrup, dissolve 100 g white sugar in 100 g water; remove from heat, add 10 g rinsed basil leaves, cover and steep for 10 minutes, then strain and chill. Wash cucumber, extract juice with clean equipment and fine-strain; measure 60 ml finished juice. Shake 60 ml cucumber juice, 25 ml lemon juice and 20 ml cold basil syrup with ice for 8–10 seconds. Fine-strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice, top with 60 ml chilled plain soda water, stir once and garnish with one cucumber ribbon and one small basil sprig.
Glassware
Collins glass with cubed ice
Garnish
1 cucumber ribbon and 1 small basil sprig
History
Contemporary cucumber-basil-lemon mocktails are documented in published recipes, including a version using muddled cucumber, fresh basil, agave and club soda. This Mixology interpretation uses strained cucumber juice and a separately measured basil syrup. No source reviewed establishes an inventor or first date for this precise formula.
Mixology View
The measured basil infusion gives a reproducible aromatic starting point without burying the cucumber. This remains an expert desk estimate, not a taste-tested house recipe.
Ingredient note
Fresh cucumber juice is unpasteurized. Prepare with clean equipment, refrigerate promptly and serve immediately; higher-risk consumers should avoid untreated juices.