Agua De Pepino (Cucumber Water)

Hey everyone, today I want to bring you guys this amazing recipe for a refreshing drink. when a lot of us hear cucumber water the first thing we think of is pickle water, well I am here to fix that, pickle water is the result of processing cucumbers into pickle by utilizing water, salt, vinegar, sugar, spices, and letting it sit on this brine for a minimum of 4 weeks before consuming. At this point you will have a pickle that will be sour, tangy, salty, and depending on recipe even sweet, or spicy. after the pickles are used in burgers, relish and many other, what's left behind is a brine or pickle water. this brine is used for enhancing flavors in foods, energy drinks and even alcoholic drinks. Now that we understand what pickle water is let's dive into this amazing sweet refreshing summer drink. Cucumber water is infused water that provides not only a tasty and refreshing drink but plenty of nutritional value such as hydration, rich in antioxidants, aid in weight loss, flushes out toxins from our bodies, supports skin health, improves bone health, improves the digestive system, boost your energy levels, promotes heart health, improves kidney function, promotes healthy hair, helps control sugar levels in the body, anti-inflammatory properties, and even promotes a healthy liver. Now that we understand this differences, lets jump on to making it.

To prepare this drink:

• 2 Cucumbers peeled, Sliced, & Cubed
• 6 Cups of water 
• 1/3 cup of lime juice (can sub with lemon juice)
• 2/3 cups of sugar (use your prefer sugar or honey but please remember each will make the flavor change a bit we use white granular sugar).
• fresh mint leave *this is optional* can used dehydrated if no fresh available 

1. In a blender add cucumbers and water and blend until smooth. Not all 6 cups will fit just add the rest into a clean pitcher.
2. using a cheesecloth or finer mesh strain the liquid to separate the pulp from the liquid. discard pulp or compost it and add your liquid to your pitcher
3. Add lemon juice and sugar. Mix well * if you don't want to feel the sugar use a cup of water in a pot add your sugar and let it warm up till sugar has dissolved, it will be clear. Do not cook long enough or you will end up with caramel.
4. Serve Chilled over ice, with slices of cucumber and/or lime, and fresh mint leaves.

Enjoy and let us know in the comments if you tried it.