Recipe for: Cucumber-Mint Lemonade with Greater Poland Honey - photo 1
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Recipe for: Cucumber-Mint Lemonade with Greater Poland Honey

Drinks Regional Cuisine of Poland 20 min Easy 9 views ~9.30 PLN * - (0)
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Description

Refreshing summer lemonade combining the cool taste of cucumber with the aroma of fresh mint and the natural sweetness of Polish honey. Inspired by the traditions of Greater Poland, where simple, seasonal drinks are served in the summer with grilled dishes and light salads. Perfect as a drink for family gatherings, picnics, or during hot weather — it has a light green color, delicate sweetness, and pleasant herbal freshness. Serve well chilled, with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of mint; it can be served with sparkling water for bubbles or with still water for a milder effect.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (7)

Servings:
6
  • Cucumber 2 pcs (~600 g)
  • Lemon 3 pcs (~240 g)
  • Mint 30 g
  • Greater poland honey 120 g
  • Water 100 ml
  • Sparkling water 1500 ml
  • ✨ Optional
  • Ice 300 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~9.30 PLN (1.55 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Preparation of ingredients

1

Wash the cucumbers under running, cool water, scrubbing the skin with a kitchen brush. Dry with a paper towel. Wash the lemons and mint. Tear off a few nice sprigs of mint for decoration and set them aside.

Ingredients: Cucumber, Lemon, mint
Use a cutting board and a sharp knife. Mint quickly loses its aroma — wash it briefly, gently dry it. Tools: board, knife, paper towel.

Honey syrup

2

Pour 100 ml of water into a small saucepan and add 120 g of Wielkopolski honey. Heat over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the honey is completely dissolved and the mixture becomes homogeneous — about 1-2 minutes. Do not allow it to boil; the syrup should only be warm.

Ingredients: Greater Poland honey, Water
Use a small saucepan and a wooden or silicone spoon. The temperature should not exceed ~50°C; too hot syrup will destroy the flavor of the honey. If you don't have a thermometer, dissolving the honey and achieving a uniform consistency is sufficient.

Cooling the syrup

3

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool slightly (5-8 minutes) — it should be warm, not hot. After cooling, pour the syrup into a jug. The syrup will be thicker than regular sugar syrup, which will make it easier to mix with cucumber juice.

Ingredients: Greater Poland honey
Use a measuring cup or a jug with a spout. Hot syrup should not be added directly to cold water, as it may heat it unevenly.

Preparation of cucumber juice

4

Cut the cucumbers into smaller pieces (about 2-3 cm), without peeling (if the skin is bitter, peel it thinly). Place the chopped cucumbers in a blender and blend on high speed for 60-90 seconds, until a smooth mixture is formed. If the blender is small, blend in batches.

Ingredients: Cucumber
Use a high-power blender or an immersion blender. If you don't have a blender, grate the cucumbers and squeeze the juice through cheesecloth.

Draining the juice

5

Pour the blended cucumbers through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl or directly into a pitcher. Use a spoon or spatula to gently press the pulp and extract as much juice as possible — about 2-3 tablespoons per batch. You can use the remaining pulp for a salad.

Ingredients: Cucumber
The best is a fine mesh strainer or several layers of cheesecloth. Press slowly to avoid letting too much protein-water foam through. Tool: spoon, fine strainer, cheesecloth.

Mixing the lemonade

6

Pour cucumber juice (about 300–400 ml) into a large pitcher, add the juice squeezed from lemons (squeeze the halves into a strainer to catch the seeds), pour in the prepared honey syrup, and gently mix with a wooden or silicone spoon. Add the chopped mint leaves (gently chop them or crush them in your hands) — starting with 10–12 g of leaves, you can adjust the flavor later.

Ingredients: Cucumber, Lemon, Greater Poland honey, mint
Use a pitcher with a capacity of at least 1.5–2 l. Rubbing the mint in your hands releases the essential oils; do not crush the leaves too hard, as they will become bitter.

Adding water and seasoning

7

Pour chilled sparkling water (1500 ml) into the pitcher, quickly and gently stir to preserve the bubbles. Taste the drink: if it's too sour, add 10–20 g more honey dissolved in 1–2 tablespoons of water; if it's too sweet, add extra lemon juice.

Ingredients: Sparkling water, Greater Poland honey, Lemon
Add sparkling water at the end, mixing gently with a spatula or spoon to avoid losing the carbonation. Season the flavor gradually — it's easier to add than to take away.

Chilling and serving

8

Place the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes or serve immediately with ice. Fill the glasses with ice cubes (optional), pour in the lemonade, and garnish with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of mint. Serve chilled, preferably in clear tall glasses.

Ingredients: Ice, mint, Cucumber
If you are serving lemonade at a party, prepare an extra pitcher of syrup (honey + water) for sweetening. Tools: pitcher, measuring cup, strainer, juicer/blender, glasses.

Variants

9

Optionally: instead of the whole portion of sparkling water, use half sparkling and half still for a milder drink; add a slice of lime for a fresher note; you can also add 50 ml of vodka or gin to create a summer cocktail.

Ingredients: Sparkling water
For children and those avoiding alcohol, serve only the non-alcoholic version. If you want less pulp in the drink, strain it again through cheesecloth.

Fun Fact

💡

Greater Poland has a long tradition of consuming simple, refreshing drinks in the summer — cucumber often appears in the region's cold soups and beverages, while local honey adds a regional touch.

Best for

piknik grillowanie letnie przyjęcie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve very chilled in tall glasses with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of mint. For an aesthetic effect, cut thin ribbons of cucumber peel using a vegetable peeler and place them against the wall of the glass. For a larger gathering, prepare the syrup separately so guests can sweeten the drink to their liking.

🥡 Storage

Store the lemonade in a closed pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. After a longer period, the drink may separate — stir vigorously before serving. Do not freeze lemonade with honey (it will change the taste).

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