Cucumber, lime and olive cooler
Nour Antoun
Crisp, cold and a little savoury: cucumber and lime shaken with ice and finished with a green olive.
A tall glass of this cooler is the most refreshing thing I make, and it needs nothing more than a cucumber.
Blend half a peeled cucumber with 100 ml of cold water and strain it through a fine sieve. Shake 60 ml of the cucumber water with 15 ml lime juice, 10 ml simple syrup and a teaspoon of olive brine over plenty of ice.
Strain into a chilled glass and add one green olive on a pick. The brine gives the drink its savoury edge, so add it a few drops at a time until it tastes right to you.
Keep the cucumber water in the fridge for up to two days and you can shake one in a minute when guests arrive.