Cucumber Mint Cooler
I was astonished when I was eating a sandwich at Mokoloco, which I can pretty confidently say makes the best sandwiches in the world. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of hyperbole, but every sandwich I’ve had there has been spectacular. From the Cuban sandwich made with pulled pork, ham, pickled vegetables, spicy mustard, and griddled on house-made bread, to a Katsu Meatball “burger” served with anchovy mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun, it’s always a tough decision to decide which to have. The menu changes daily so you never really know what’s going to be on offer, but lately they’ve been doing an excellent Fattoush salad, the best I’ve ever had, which I guess I should be glad is a seasonal thing because I’d be in there every day they’re open, all year round.
The restaurant is owned by Moko Hirayama and Omar Koreitem, although calling Mokoloco a restaurant is a bit of a misnomer. (The couple owns the nearby Mokonuts, which became so popular that they created Mokloco sandwich bar to offer more casual fare.) It’s a sandwich bar in the best sense of the word, with the friendly staff making sandwiches and salads to order, handing them off to customers who either get them to go, or to enjoy perched on a stool in the sparse, modern space.
At Mocoloco, Moko makes this as a “base” which she keeps refrigerated and adds cold water to when it’s time to serve. We did a video of her making it here, in case you want to see her in action.
She uses an equal amount of water to cucumber base, but if you’d like to keep this Cucumber Mint Cooler ready-to-pour in the refrigerator, or to serve it by the pitcher, measure out how much base you have then add an equal amount of water to it.
| Cucumber Mint Cooler |
Print Recipe
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| 6-8 servings |
Notes: As mentioned, Moko keeps the "base" in the refrigerator and portions out each glass when the orders come in. See the headnote for details, or use the instructions at the end of the recipe to serve it by the carafe or small pitcher. You can easily double or triple the recipe if your blender has the capacity.
To make a lovely summer cocktail, mix 2 ounces of the base with 2 ounces of cold water, still or sparkling, in a tumbler. Add 1 ounce of mezcal and 2 teaspoons of triple sec (optional) to the glass. Stir briefly and add ice. Garnish with mint and lime or cucumber.
Made this following the live you did with Moko, it is fabulous, as is she!
Tried it with Tequilla, and it is goooood!
that sounds great
+ I will certainly try that when my own cucumbers are ready
+ -more important- I will have to look out for different kind of cucumber-seeds for next year
Could Gin be a substitute for mezcal
(in my mountain village a bit difficult to find)
We tried it with gin, thinking it’d be perfect with the cucumber, but found we preferred mezcal. But it does work with gin…(You can see our “tests” with different alcohols in the video, linked!)
oh, yes,
I liked the video!
Thank you + allt the best wishes for moko too!
Thanks – this was going to be my exact question as well.
I was thinking gin as well. I alway have a bottle but realy (never) mescal.
Healthy green smoothie for Summer!
Moko and her family were delightful! Thank you David for continuing to show us your slice of Paris. I feel like I am travelling without having to leave my couch.
Vodka also works really well… I am so disappointed that I won’t be able to come to Paris for the foreseeable future – my trip was canceled this year and there’s no telling how long the idiocy here will continue. Thank you for the armchair adventures.
Winter here, but it is definitely on my summer drink list. thank you and Moko
We are swimming in Japanese cucumbers in the field and reseeded mint in the garden so I think this will need to be a nightly cocktail experience with the killer mezcal I have (is that wasteful for the mezcal?). I can serve it non-alcoholic style for the Japanese kids at Saturday all day class. They eat (or drink) anything up. Thank your and Moko for this. Not sure when I can get back to Paris but I suppose living in Japan will make that a little sooner than if I lived in the US. N
LOVE your work – a joy to hear about your farm and that you all are well!
Excellent! with Scrabble…
Great idea!
I made the drink immediately after watching you live with Moko. I’ve since made it 3 more times. It is so refreshing. I think it may be my summer go to afternoon drink. I haven’t tried it with Mezcal yet but that would have to be an evening drink and my evenings are for wine. It was fun watching you with Moko’s children underfoot. Your live shows definitely put a big smile on my face. Please keep doing them.
How would it be with lemon?
The kids and I just made this for our lunch. It is so tasty! I wasn’t sure they would like it but they loved it. I will made another batch later today for a pre-dinner cocktail.
Made some with tequila and my goodness gracious, this will be my favorite summer drink
I had something like this in a mexican restaurant in Boston once, although it had a jalepeno and tequila. Was so good! Will try your recipe this weekend.
How long will the base keep in the fridge. I have been making cucumber/mint/ginger water, but the mint discolors after a wile
I’ve had mine in the refrigerator for 3 days and it still tastes fine to me.
Just in time for July 4th, can’t wait!!
Thanks for this and you fabulous blog and books!
omgosh your picture of cucumber mint and lime is so refreshing right now that it actually gave me a shiver of delight, lol. I will be mmm…aking this tomorrow after the farmers market haul (decidedly MASKED – it is crazytime in the US).
For a different taste, you can also use 1/2 mint and 1/2 coriander (cilantro) leaves as well.
Thank you David!
Changes we had to make:
Cucumber: 10 oz (3 homegrown organic Munchers- but we should have used more)
Fresh Mint Leaves: Chocolate Mint
Limes: Zest from 1 med Organic Orange & Organic Lime Juice (home-squeezed) Because: we had no limes- only fresh oranges and previously squeezed lime juice in the freezer. We tried the “lunch” version and the cocktail with Tequila. And we enjoyed it!
Going to make this pronto. May try with a dash of some booze later for the Friday pm cocktail hour. Health drink, I believe.
A perfect summer drink! Great use of my mint and the cucumbers people are giving me from their garden!
Still quite cool here in Los Angeles (58F at 7am) but I am out to water the mint and can get lovely limes and cukes from farmers market (they are open w/ distancing and NO touching) I like having some go to options when it heats up. Thanks!
Question! Am I mistaken that Moko put the entire lime in the vitamix? Wondering if I can do the same or
too much pith? Making as you detail for mezcal cocktails c’est soir. Thanks
No, she didn’t; just the juice and the zest.
Made this yesterday and it was really tasty. I found that, as I was blending it, sour lime dominated, so I added the maximum suggested sugar. By the next day, it tasted mellower and sweeter. So I’d suggest waiting a little bit (maybe even 10 minutes) to allow all these great flavors to mesh before consuming or deciding on how much sugar to add. This was super-refreshing both with Mezcal last night and with water this afternoon paired with a BLT (based on the sandwich focus of Mokoloco, this seemed apropos).
I just made this and it is lovely. Will try with basil next time. The video with Moko inspired me. I could watch her all afternoon. She is talented but genuinely humble and warm. Plus the special effects: phones ringing, street traffic, and kids’ voices. Real life, not in a studio. very charming.
It was quite “real” – her husband Omar was also following along from afar (at a table on the sidewalk outside) with the kids, who decided to come inside on their own. I was glad I was them hunched behind me…if I had backed up quickly on that crowded space, I might have taken quite a tumble, on camera! ;)
Hi. For the 4th we served this at lunch with Prosecco over ice. Absolutely irresistible! Thank you!
Only have an old cheap Oster, no Vitamix, used the B&D processor. Turned out fine, looked darker green than Moko’s in the video. Maybe vitamix added some “froth”? Thank god my years old mint plant is doing great in 110° heat here in Phoenix. Lots more free mint available!
I made this cucumber mint base and added vodka and splash of club soda to it. Amazing!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe. I needed more creative recipes to use the Armenian cucumbers and pineapple mint growing in my garden. I love their flavors and am always looking for ways to highlight them. This recipe is an excellent way to do that. With the heat and humidity of summer, I’ve been keep a container of this base in the refrigerator to mix with water and ice as needed. Summer in a glass!
I love cucumber drinks, and it was an added delight to use our garden-grown cucumbers and mint to make this delicious drink. We had with gin and seltzer, but someone mentioned prosecco, which sounds even better!