Make Your Own Cucumber & Mint Infused Vodka Recipe

Cucumber and fresh mint give plain vodka a light, herbal flavor that works well with soda water, lemonade, or tonic. This small batch uses just 2 cups vodka, half a cucumber, and 5 mint leaves, with no added sugar.

Keep the infusion refrigerated and start checking its flavor after the first day. The three-to-five-day window is a guide, not a requirement: strain earlier if the cucumber and mint are already as strong as you want.

Choosing and preparing the ingredients

Use plain, commercially bottled vodka labeled 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof. Choose a reasonably priced bottle you enjoy in mixed drinks; an expensive vodka isn’t necessary for this recipe.

Pick a firm cucumber and fresh mint leaves without mold or decay. Wash your hands and utensils before starting. FDA recommends washing produce under running water, including produce you plan to peel, and scrubbing firm items such as cucumbers with a clean produce brush. Rinse the mint gently and pat both ingredients dry.

Peel the cucumber if you prefer a milder flavor, and scoop out large seeds before slicing. Tito’s cucumber infusion recipe recommends removing the peel and seeds to reduce bitterness. Keep the mint leaves whole so they’re easy to remove separately if their flavor develops faster than the cucumber’s.

Steeping and straining

1. Fill the jar. Place the thin cucumber slices and mint leaves in a clean, food-safe glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in the vodka, keeping the ingredients submerged. Use a jar that holds everything comfortably without extra water.
2. Label and refrigerate. Add the preparation date and ingredients to the label. Close the jar and gently swirl it once a day.
3. Check the flavor early. After about 24 hours, take a small sample with a clean utensil. Check daily after that. Remove the mint if it starts to dominate, and strain the entire batch once the flavor suits you. Cucumber infusions can develop quickly; Tito’s cucumber-only method uses a one-to-two-day steep.
4. Strain thoroughly. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. If small leaf fragments remain, filter again through clean cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter. Avoid pressing the cucumber and mint through the strainer.
5. Bottle. Transfer to a clean bottle, close tightly, and keep refrigerated. Remove all cucumber slices and mint leaves rather than leaving them in as decoration.

Storage

Keep the infusion refrigerated during steeping and after straining. Make it for an upcoming occasion rather than assuming it will keep like an unopened bottle of vodka. A validated shelf life has not been established for this particular cucumber-and-mint mixture.

Don’t dilute the stored batch with water, juice, or syrup. Oregon State University Extension explains that adding produce can lower a spirit’s alcohol concentration, and that ingredient proportions affect the possibility of spoilage. Refrigeration and the starting vodka strength do not establish the finished infusion’s shelf life.

Simple ways to serve it

For an easy spritzer, pour 1 ounce infused vodka and 3 to 4 ounces soda water over ice. Add a squeeze of lime and a fresh cucumber slice. Treat those quantities as a serving suggestion and adjust the mixer to taste.

Lemonade makes a sweeter drink, while tonic adds its characteristic bitter edge. Add any sweetener in the glass so you can use the same unsweetened infusion in several cocktails.

If you’re trying the combination for the first time, make a smaller batch with 1 cup vodka, a quarter cucumber, and 2 or 3 mint leaves. Start checking after the first day; reducing the batch size doesn’t mean the steeping time should automatically be halved.