Cucumber Mojito — When the Garden Overflows, So Does the Glass

The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Boone County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.

Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made watermelon feta salad earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.

The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.

With the garden going absolutely wild — the corn towering, the zucchini staging its annual takeover, the cucumbers coming in faster than I can keep up — it felt right to turn some of that abundance into something to sip slowly and share. A cucumber mojito is exactly the kind of drink you make when the garden is generous and the evening is warm and you want to sit on the porch and feel grateful for all of it. This one’s been on our summer rotation for years, and it never lasts long.

Cucumber Mojito

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 12 fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or simple syrup to taste)
• 2 oz fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3 oz white rum
• Club soda, chilled, to top (about 1 cup)
• Ice cubes
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Muddle. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker or large glass, combine the cucumber slices, mint leaves, and sugar. Muddle firmly until the cucumber releases its juice and the mint is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add spirits and citrus. Add the lime juice and white rum to the shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds until well chilled.
3. Strain and serve. Strain evenly into two ice-filled glasses (highball glasses work best). Top each glass with chilled club soda and stir gently to combine.
4. Garnish. Tuck a cucumber slice, a sprig of fresh mint, and a lime wedge onto each glass. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 165 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 15mg