People who know me know I like gin. Oh, I like other spirits, beers, and wines too, but when I reach for a spirit for mixing, I go for gin. And tonic. With a lemon (not lime). But that is another story. This one is about getting a cucumber fix.
I mentioned this drink when I first wrote about Little Branch, but I don’t think I emphasized how good it is. It’s good. I was talking to the bartender and we started talking about the virtues of gin, so she proposed this drink. I had never heard of it, but who was I to refuse a drink?
Getting a cucumber fix.
And besides, as if gin wasn’t British enough, let’s go ahead and make it over the top by mixing it with cucumber. Yeah, let’s do that.
Ingredients
3/4 parts simple syrup (see recipe below)
3/4 parts fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 parts gin
muddled English cucumber
Directions
Cut three to five slices off the cucumber and muddle them in the bottom of a glass. (Muddle basically mean to crush lightly. You don’t have to mangle them, just press them to break them up and extract some of the liquid.)
Add the simple syrup, lemon juice and gin. Stir to combine. Top off with as much crushed ice as you can fit into the glass. Stir again.
The large quantity of crushed ice is actually very important to the drink. The liquids should be at room temperature when mixed. This allows the ice to melt slightly into the drink, both chilling and diluting the alcohol. This is a strong drink. The flavors of the gin and cucumber are in full force (use a good gin). The two shots of gin are tempered slightly by the water, creating a balanced drink. I have actually tried this drink with pre-chilled liquids so that the ice would not dilute the drink and preferred the diluted version.
Have a drink. Cheers.
Simple Syrup Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Simple Syrup Directions
Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small pot. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Store the simple syrup in a clean, air-tight jar and refrigerated for use as needed. (Can be frozen.)
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