Cucumber Mint Lemonade can also be called ‘Limonada De Pepino y Yerba Buena.’ Just saying it makes my mouth crave this refreshing lemonade… Especially on a hot day like the one we are experiencing here in Los Angeles right now.
Here is the back story on my Cucumber Mint Lemonade… I lived in the same house with my super thrify grandfather growing up. He knew how to stretch a dollar being that he was raised during the depression. Our home was blessed with a big lemon tree in the back yard (and still is) and a small garden of yerba buena, chiles, cilantro, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Having access to free produce was a godsend to him. He would much rather use what we had on hand instead of going out to buy more.
On super hot days my grandfather would have me go out back and pick a few lemons, pluck a handful of yerba buena (mint) sprigs, and grab a cucumber. I would deliver them to him in the kitchen and watch as he squeezed the lemons into water to make a lemonade with hardly any sugar, which I always thought he needed to add more of. I would not tell him his concoction lacked a good amount of sweetness because I know he would have disagreed with me. Once the lemonade was mixed he would add leaves of yerba buena and slices of cucumber. He’d then let the mixture sit in the fridge and wait for it to chill. A few hours later we would serve it over ice and enjoy.
Ingredients for Cucumber Mint Lemonade:
- 5 – large lemons (juiced)
- 1/4 – cup sugar ( or more if you like your lemonade sweeter)
- 6 – cups water
- 1/4 – cup cucumber (sliced in rounds)
- 1/8 – cup mint leaves
Directions:
- In a large pitcher add lemon juice and sugar and mix until fully dissolved.
- Add in water, cucumber slices, and mint.
- Mix until fully combined.
- Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or until chilled.
- Serve over ice.
- Enjoy!
