The Detox juice recipe
for your table
Scrub the cucumber and apples and cut everything into pieces that fit through the feed chute of your juicer or slow juicer. Peel the ginger, as the skin gives it an earthy aftertaste. You don't need to peel the apples, and the cores can go in too.
Put the pieces through the centrifugal juicer or slow juicer, alternating hard and soft ingredients: a piece of apple after the cucumber pushes the soft material along and keeps the sieve clean. Put the ginger through last, so you can see how much heat it adds.
If you don't have a juicer, blend everything with a splash of water until thick, then pour it through a fine sieve or a tea towel, and squeeze out the pulp until no more liquid comes out. Then squeeze half a lemon into the juice: this keeps the apple's color brighter and makes the whole thing more vibrant.
Stir the juice and pour it into a small, chilled tumbler. Freshly pressed juice separates within a few minutes into a clear top layer and a cloudy bottom layer, so stir briefly before pouring. Drink it the same day, as its color and flavor quickly deteriorate afterward.
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The story
The word detox is marketing, not a method of preparation. Juice bars started selling green bottles under that name, and the name stuck because it is short and sells well. What is in the bottle is simply freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juice, and it has been around for as long as juicers have existed. It is a fine drink: cold, refreshing, and made with combinations you will not find in a carton. But the name says nothing about what the drink does, and it does not need to. What matters is which vegetables and fruit go together, and in what proportions.
The right glass
Freshly pressed juice made from vegetables and fruit is poured into a small glass because it has an intense flavor and you rarely make half a liter of it. Twenty to twenty-six centiliters is enough. A small glass also fills more quickly, so the juice is exposed to the air for less time and its color stays vibrant. Clear, untreated glass is more important here than with other drinks, because the color of beet juice or a green blend accounts for most of its appeal. Larger sizes can be found among the highball glasses.
Arcoroc Stack Up Tumbler 26 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère City Tumbler 25 cl Stackable (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 50,90.
The right tools
For a detox juice, besides the glass, you need a citrus juicer for the lemon and a fine grater for grating ginger. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 41,85.
Which tumbler goes with a detox juice?
This juice is alcohol-free on its own. If you'd like something with it, its herbal and sharp notes pair well with: gin with cucumber and celery, vodka if you want the juice itself to shine, and prosecco to dilute it. On each drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, how it tastes, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Cucumber with apple and lemon is the mildest place to start. If you want it sweeter, use more carrot or a piece of beetroot; if you want it more savory, add more celery. Ginger and a pinch of salt change a bland mixture fastest. A handful of spinach in the juice makes the color a deeper green without changing the flavor much. And don't leave beetroot and citrus together for too long, because the color will shift toward brown. Need more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve the juice immediately and chilled, because it separates quickly and the color fades. Chill the glass in the refrigerator beforehand instead of using ice cubes, because ice dilutes a small glass of juice too much. Stir the juice briefly before pouring so the cloudy part is included.
Good to know
Why it's called detox
Detox is a name people give these juices, not a method of making them. What's in the glass is freshly pressed juice from fruit and vegetables. The name says nothing about what the drink does, so focus mainly on what you like and how the combination turns out.
Juicing versus blending and straining
A juicer or slow juicer extracts the liquid and leaves the fiber behind, so you end up with a thin juice. Blending finely chops everything, including the fiber, and produces a thick drink; if you pour it through a fine sieve or a tea towel, you get something close to juice. Blending and straining takes more work and creates more waste, but you don't need a juicer.
Why beetroot and carrot are sweet
Beetroot and carrot store their supply as sugar in the root itself, and when pressed, that sugar goes straight into the juice. As a result, beetroot juice is one of the sweetest juices you can make from vegetables, sweeter than many fruit juices. Carrot comes close behind. So use them when you want sweetness, and keep the amount small if you do not.
Why celery tastes salty
Celery naturally has a salty, vegetal flavour, which is also why celery salt exists as a seasoning. In juice, it counterbalances the sweetness of apple, beetroot or carrot. One or two stalks is usually enough; any more and the entire juice becomes savoury.
How long it stays good
Freshly pressed juice is best consumed immediately and no later than the same day. It is exposed to the air, so its colour and flavour deteriorate quickly, and it ferments faster than pasteurised juice in a carton. Store it in a full, sealed bottle in the refrigerator, because the less air above it, the longer it stays good.
Frequently asked questions
What is detox juice?
Detox juice is a name people use for freshly pressed juice made from vegetables and fruit, usually with cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger, celery, beetroot or carrot. So it is simply juice. The name says nothing about what the drink does.
Which combinations are tasty?
Cucumber with apple and lemon is mild and fresh. Carrot with apple and ginger is sweet with a sharpness, and beetroot with apple and lemon is the sweetest and deepest in colour. Celery adds a salty counterpoint to a blend that turns out too sweet.
Can I make it without a juicer?
Yes. Blend everything with a splash of water until it forms a thick mass, pour it through a fine sieve or a tea towel, and squeeze out the remainder. You will then have juice that comes close to pressed juice. It takes more work and leaves more pulp than a juicer.
Which glass do you serve this juice in?
From a small tumbler holding twenty to twenty-six centilitres. The juice has an intense flavour and you rarely make much of it, and in a small glass it is exposed to the air for less time. Clear glass without decoration lets the colour do the work.
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