Cucumber Cooler with Cucumber and Lime

Wash the cucumber thoroughly, peel roughly half the skin for a milder flavour and slice into thin rounds. Set a few slices aside to garnish the glasses.

Juice the limes - you will need about 120 ml of fresh lime juice, which is roughly 4 limes. Rinse the mint leaves under cold water and pat dry.

Chill four highball glasses in the freezer, or fill them with ice for a minute until cold, then discard the ice.

Place a few cucumber slices and 8 fresh mint leaves into a shaker. Gently muddle with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon to release their juice and aroma. Do not crush them too hard or the cucumber cooler will turn bitter.

Add the gin, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Fill with a generous handful of ice and shake firmly for about 15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosted.

Fill the prepared glasses three-quarters full with fresh ice. Strain the mixture from the shaker evenly into all four glasses through a fine strainer to catch any cucumber and mint pieces.

Top each glass with chilled sparkling water almost to the rim and gently stir with a bar spoon from the bottom up to preserve the bubbles.

Garnish with a cucumber slice tucked along the inside of the glass, a lime wheel and a sprig of fresh mint on top. Serve immediately while ice cold.