Cucumber Cool Down

Last week's heat spell took a toll on our once-thriving cucumber vine (not to mention our ability to function). It no longer looks as lush, but it's still producing cucumbers so I can't give up on it completely. To cool us down a bit I harvested a few cucumbers and made refreshing 'kachumber' coolers:

4 Cucumbers, Peeled and Seeded
Juice from 1 Lime
1/2 cup Simple Syrup
6 ounces Gin
1/2 cup Club Soda
Fresh Mint

Liquify the peeled and seeded cucumbers in a food processor. Press pulp through a fine mesh strainer to capture the cucumber juice. Discard solids. You should have about 1/2 cup of cucumber juice. Add an equal amount of simple syrup. (To make the simple syrup, bring equal amounts of water and sugar to a boil. Turn burner off and let liquid cool.)

Add the juice of one lime to the cucumber and sugar water, about 2 Tablespoons. Fill a large tumbler with ice and add one and a half ounces of gin, two ounces of the cucumber/lime/sugar water. Top off with club soda and garnish with a cucumber wedge and muddled mint. Ahhh... so refreshing! The remaining cucumber mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Just give it a shake before using as the fine pulp settles to the bottom.