Cava Cucumber Mint Lime Drink (copycat Recipe)

As I group retired to recreate CAVA’s cucumber mint lime drink, I started pinch a guidelines of lime juice, almost for illustration making a classical limeade. At first, I blended cucumber juice, lime juice, and a spot of elemental syrup. It was good, but honestly, it conscionable tasted for illustration limeade. It was thing memorable.

Then I came crossed a extremity that suggested enhancing limeade pinch lime zest and a scatter of citrus juice. That extremity was golden. Those 2 mini additions wholly transformed my elemental portion into thing bright, layered, and refreshing, and much importantly, conscionable for illustration nan type I emotion astatine CAVA.

This homemade cucumber mint lime juice portion look has that nonstop light, crisp, and not overly saccharine flavor. It’s besides incredibly easy to customize, tin beryllium served non-alcoholic aliases arsenic a cocktail, and is besides make-ahead friendly, making it a full crowd-pleaser for immoderate lukewarm day. Not to mention, making your ain is measurement much cost-effective than buying astatine nan store.

Cava Cucumber Mint Lime Ingredients

To make this copycat CAVA cucumber mint limeade, you only request a fewer simple, caller ingredients you astir apt already person successful your fridge/pantry. You’ll find nan afloat database successful nan look paper below, but present are a fewer adjuvant notes from my testing:

For nan Mint Simple Syrup

Sweetener: Traditionally, elemental syrup uses adjacent parts sweetener and water. I for illustration to usage chromatic (or agave syrup) instead, inspired by my Honey Simple Syrup recipe, to support nan portion people sweetened. Both options activity beautifully.

Mint: Any caller mint you turn aliases tin find successful your section supermarket will do. Peppermint aliases spearmint are some awesome choices.

For nan Drink

Cucumbers: I for illustration Persian cucumbers for their crisp, saccharine taste, but English cucumbers are a awesome substitute. Peeling is optional, but if you support nan tegument on, springiness it a sensation first to make judge it’s not bitter, since older cucumber skins tin sometimes beryllium reliable and a spot bitter.

Lime and Lemon Juice & Zest: Freshly squeezed juice is champion for a bright, cleanable taste. Bottled juice useful successful a pinch, but if you can, compression your own. When I was testing this recipe, I noticed that utilizing only nan juice didn’t rather seizure nan citrusy footwear that makes CAVA’s type truthful refreshing.

That’s erstwhile I decided to adhd nan zest of some lime and lemon. It turned retired to beryllium nan missing piece, bringing nan portion overmuch person to nan 1 I first enjoyed astatine CAVA.

Ice: Cubed aliases crushed crystal keeps nan portion acold and refreshing.

For nan Garnishes

This is wherever you tin person immoderate fun. Add cucumber slices, sliced lime, aliases caller mint sprigs for a pretty, restaurant-style touch.

How To Make Cucumber Mint Limeade?

Although it whitethorn look for illustration a batch of steps, making this refreshing portion is really rather simple. Just travel nan easy steps below:

Step 1 – Make nan mint elemental syrup: To support my portion people sweetened, I americium making a batch of my honey syrup recipe. That being said, you tin make it pinch regular elemental syrup by utilizing 3/4 cup of granulated sweetener and 3/4 cup of water, pursuing nan aforesaid steps.

If you are pursuing successful my footsteps, harvester chromatic (or sugar) and h2o successful a mini saucepan complete mean heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nan chromatic afloat dissolves. Refrain from boiling honey, arsenic vulnerability to precocious power tin perchance degrade nan nutritional worth and earthy flavors of your honey.

Remove from nan power and operation successful nan mint leaves, ensuring they are afloat submerged. Let them steep for 15-20 minutes, past strain and group speech to cool.

Step 2- Puree nan cucumbers: Cut nan peeled cucumbers into mini chunks and transportation them into a nutrient processor aliases high-powered blender and blend until soft and lightly pureed. 

Step 3- Strain nan juice: Pour it into a fine-mesh strainer group complete a vessel (or a seed beverage container would besides work). Use nan backmost of a spoon aliases spatula to property retired arsenic overmuch of nan juice arsenic possible. In nan end, you should get astir ½ cup of cucumber juice.

Step 4 – Mix nan drink: Grab a ample pitcher and move successful each nan prepared ingredients, starting pinch cucumber juice, lime and citrus zests and juices, now-cooled mint elemental syrup, and 2 cups of acold water. Give it a bully operation to guarantee everything is thoroughly mixed.

Step 5 – Chill & Serve: Cover and refrigerate for an hr aliases 2 to let nan flavors to blend together. When fresh to serve, capable glasses pinch crystal and move nan portion complete it. Garnish it pinch a sprig of caller mint and your different preferred garnishes.

How To Make Ahead and Store?

One of nan champion parts astir this cucumber mint limeade is really easy it is to hole up of time. It’s cleanable for entertaining aliases for keeping a refreshing portion fresh successful nan fridge each week.

Make Ahead: The mint elemental syrup tin beryllium made 1-2 days successful beforehand and stored successful an airtight jar aliases vessel successful nan refrigerator.

If you’d alternatively operation nan full portion ahead, you tin hole it a time successful advance. Just screen and refrigerate until fresh to serve.

Storage: Store nan vanished portion successful a sealed pitcher successful nan refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

It’s normal for nan liquid to abstracted arsenic it sits. Just springiness it a bully operation earlier pouring.

Freezing for Later:

A nosy action is to frost nan cucumber mint limeade successful crystal cube trays. Once frozen, driblet nan cubes into a solid of h2o aliases sparkling h2o for a light, refreshing sip without making a full batch.

I for illustration utilizing silicone crystal cube molds (affiliate) truthful nan cubes popular retired easily.

Variations

One of nan champion parts astir this cucumber mint portion look is really easy it is to customize. With conscionable a fewer elemental swaps aliases additions, you tin make it fresh immoderate occasion, for illustration serving it to kids connected a basking day aliases mixing it up for friends astatine happy hour.

Add Sparkling water: For a bubbly twist, switch immoderate aliases each of nan h2o pinch sparkling water. You tin moreover usage lightly flavored sparkling water  (like Bubly aliases Spindrift) that you enjoy. It adds a refreshing fizz and makes nan portion consciousness other special.

Turn it into agua fresca: For a lighter taste, akin to a cucumber mint agua fresca, usage little citrus and much water.

Make it a cocktail: This limeade is nan cleanable guidelines for gin, vodka, aliases moreover achromatic rum. Add a scatter complete crystal for a refreshing big beverage.

Add immoderate ginger: If you bask a small spice, effort steeping a fewer slices of caller ginger successful nan mint elemental syrup. It adds a subtle warmth and zing that balances beautifully pinch nan cool cucumber and agleam citrus.

FAQs

Similar Drink Recipes You Might Like

If you’re arsenic obsessed pinch this CAVA portion arsenic I am, you’ll emotion these different refreshing recipes from nan archives:

• If you are successful hunt of nan astir refreshing summertime portion connected a basking day, look nary further than my Strawberry Basil Mocktail. Made successful conscionable a fewer minutes pinch strawberries and caller basil, it’s specified a bully twist to nan classical version.
• Elevate your lemonade crippled pinch my go-to Rosemary Lemonade Recipe, made from scratch pinch a unsocial hint of vanilla.
• Inspired by a travel to Dominica, my honey-sweetened Iced Ginger Tea is simply a existent summertime dainty for immoderate ginger lover.

Photos by Tanya Pilgrim.