Cucumber Tequila Punch Recipe for a Crowd

Ingredients

½ cucumber thinly sliced
6 oz simple syrup
6 oz lime juice freshly squeezed
4 oz lemon juice freshly squeezed
10¼ oz blanco tequilae.g. Olmeca Altos · Patrón · Don Julio · Espolòn · El Jimador
8 oz aloe vera drink
4 oz orange juice
10¼ oz water chilled

Garnish: Cucumber slices and lime wheels · Ice: One large cube

Method

Put the cucumber slices, simple syrup and lime juice in a punch bowl or large jug and stir; leave for 10 minutes.
Add tequila, aloe vera drink, lemon juice, orange juice and cold water and stir well.
Chill until serving.
Add a block of ice just before serving, garnish with fresh cucumber slices and lime wheels, and ladle into ice-filled glasses.

Watch it made

Fresh Cucumber Punch

Taste

Fresh, green cucumber and bright citrus with a gentle agave note and mild sweetness. Light and very refreshing.

History and origin

This is a modern party punch rather than a historic recipe, and it has no documented creator. It uses the classic punch formula of sour, sweet, strong and weak, with tequila as the spirit and water, aloe vera and juice as the lengthening elements.

Cucumber and lime with tequila is a combination familiar from Mexican aguas frescas, cooling fruit and vegetable drinks sold across the country, as well as from modern tequila coolers. Aloe vera drinks, often sold with small pieces of aloe gel, have become popular in Asian and Latin American supermarkets.

Bartender tips

Leave the cucumber in for no more than a few hours, or the punch can become bitter.
Taste and adjust: add syrup if your citrus is very sour, water if it is too strong.
Soda water instead of still water gives a lively, sparkling version.

Variations

Easy twist: mint and jalapeño: Add a handful of mint leaves and a few jalapeño slices for a spicy, herbal punch.
Gin version: Replace the tequila with gin for a more floral, botanical punch.