Cucumber Spritz

Ingredients

• 6 juicy limes
• 1½ cups (300 grams) sugar
• 2 Tbsp. (20 grams) salt
• ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. (90 ml) water
• 1½ large cucumbers, about 1 pound
• 3 ounces (90 ml) Lime Cordial
• 4 dashes Saline Solution (about ⅛ teaspoon plus a few drops)
• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) lime juice, from 1 lime
• Ice
• Sparkling water or seltzer

Steps

1. Peel the limes with a vegetable peeler. Toss the peels with the sugar in a bowl or a large jar. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a muddler, bruise the peels a little to release their fragrant oils. Cover and leave overnight. The next day, juice the limes—you want to add 6 ounces (180 ml) lime juice—directly into the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Lime cordial can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
2. Stir salt and water together until salt dissolves completely. Pour into a small bottle, ideally one with a small opening, or a dropper.
3. Slice a few cucumber slices and set aside for garnish. Peel the remaining cucumber and purée it in a blender or run it through a juicer. If blending it, strain the juice, pressing on the solids to extract as much as possible. You should have about ½ cup juice.
4. Stir the lime cordial, saline solution, and lime juice together in a mixing glass (you will have 4 tablespoons of this base). Pour in the cucumber juice and stir well.
5. Fill two highball glasses with ice, pour the cucumber juice mixture into the glasses and top up with sparkling water or seltzer. Garnish with cucumber slices.