Going thru the fridge again, looking to use up some stuff I wondered what kind of drink I could make with a cucumber, besides just putting it in some water. Came across the cucumber mint martini, and I love it. Guess the flavor combo has been a thing for me lately, but whatever. It's so refreshing, cool, and a perfect porch sipper. Admittedly, I was skeptical of a skin-on cucumber purée in a drink, expecting it to be a bit chewy or lumpy but it was pleasantly not that way at all. It's not very sweet and goes down like a proper summer cocktail should.
Annoyingly this does take a minute, so it's more of a Saturday sipper rather than an after-work quick pour. Worth it though, I promise. Here it is, adapted from this recipe:
1 cucumber, ends removed, washed and chopped (skin on)
4-5 mint leaves
1 oz. lime or lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup (optional; can substitute 2 Tbsp. of sugar)
1.5 - 2 oz. vodka or gin
Put the cucumber, mint, lime juice and syrup in a blender - an immersion blender works fine - and purée until smooth. Use a fine-mesh strainer to pour through into a shaker, discarding the pulp. (I have a small 3" strainer similar to this that works perfectly.) Add the vodka or gin and shake with ice. Serve in a martini glass with fresh mint leaves and/or lime slice.
Notes: Superfine sugar works best for drinks if you opt for it over syrup. I used vodka and lime juice but the gin and lemon are potentially more tangy options; mix 'n' match as you like.
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