Cucumber Gimlet

Ingredients:

1 cucumber
1 oz. gin
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp simple syrup

STEP 1 - Remove one thin slice from the cucumber, and set it aside for garnish.

STEP 2 - Peel the rest of the cucumber, chop it into large chunks, blend them in a blender until they are liquified.

STEP 3 - Strain the puree to remove the pulp from the juice. One regular cucumber usually yields two or three ounces of juice. It takes two ounces (1/4 cup) for each cocktail.

STEP 4 - In a shaker cup with ice, mix 1 shot of gin, 2 shots of cuke juice, 1 tsp of fresh lime juice, and 1 tsp of simple syrup. Stir and strain into a chilled coctail glass and garnish.

TIP - Like all martini style cocktails, it's important to keep everything as cold as possible because the drink isn't served over ice. Be sure to chill the glass. You can do this by putting ice water in it while you're preparing the cocktail, or, if you're planning ahead enough, you can put the glass in the freezer hours ahead of time. I also store the gin in the freezer.

ANOTHER TIP - It's more labor intensive than most cocktails, and you might not want to just make one at a time. Try juicing several cucumbers at once and serving them to friends at a party.

YET ANOTHER TIP - This cocktail is less alcoholic than most martini style cocktails, but don't be tempted to add more gin; the flavor of the cuke juice is already subtle, and would be overwhelmed by more gin.