Soju Cucumber Cooler

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) plain soju (25% ABV, such as Chum Churum or Jinro brand)
• 1 large English cucumber (about 300g), half thinly sliced for garnish, half roughly chopped for muddling
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 3 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
• 1/2 cup (120ml) cold sparkling water or club soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup ice cubes for mixing
• Extra ice cubes for serving
• 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves for muddling plus extra sprigs for garnish
• Optional: 4 thin slices of jalapeño for a spicy variation

Instructions

1. Combine the roughly chopped cucumber pieces and fresh mint leaves in the bottom of a large cocktail shaker or pitcher. Muddle firmly for about 30 seconds until the cucumber releases its juice and the mint is fragrant but not shredded.
2. Add the honey or agave syrup, fresh lime juice, and fresh lemon juice to the muddled cucumber mixture. Stir well to dissolve the honey completely into the citrus juices.
3. Pour 1 cup of soju into the shaker along with the sea salt and 1 cup of ice cubes. Seal the shaker tightly and shake vigorously for 20 to 25 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing the solids to extract maximum cucumber flavor. Discard the solids.
5. Add the cold sparkling water or club soda to the strained mixture in the pitcher and stir gently once or twice to combine without losing carbonation.
6. Fill four tall glasses with fresh ice cubes. Pour the soju cucumber mixture evenly among the four glasses, filling each about three-quarters full.
7. Garnish each glass with 2 to 3 thin cucumber slices arranged along the rim or floated on top, a fresh sprig of mint pressed gently between your palms to release aroma before placing it in the glass, and a jalapeño slice if using the spicy variation.
8. Serve immediately while cold. Each serving contains approximately 1 standard drink unit (about 30ml pure alcohol). For a non-alcoholic variation, replace the soju with an equal amount of chilled cucumber water made by blending and straining 1 additional cucumber with 1 cup of water, and increase honey by 1 teaspoon for balance.