I’m pretty excited about this weeks Summer Fest celebration! We are talking all things cucumbers – and I can’t wait to hear what everyone made. While brainstorming my favorite recipe involving cucumber, I realized that you can really use it in so many things! You can toss it into a salad, throw it into a thai flavored pasta dish, make it into a creamy cucumber soup, be super adventurous and make your own pickles, or you can make a kick ass cocktail, like me!
This Cucumber Basil Gimlet starts with making cucumber juice, which is pretty simple, all you have to do is peel an English cucumber, chop it into chunks and throw it into your food processor or blender and blend it until you can’t blend anymore! Then you’re going to put it through a fine mesh strainer and voila – cucumber juice!
But we can’t just add cucumber juice to a cocktail… it has to be jazzed up! So along with the cucumber juice, you’ll need some freshly squeezed lime juice, a basil simple syrup and gin. The result is going to be a perfectly refreshing summer cocktail that you transport you to somewhere fabulous with a beach, and lots of sunshine and perhaps some guacamole.
| Cucumber Basil Gimlet |
- 1-2 oz basil simple syrup (water, sugar, basil)
- 1 oz cucumber juice (English cucumber)
- 3 oz gin
- 1 oz lime juice
- In a pot, combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and 10 basil leave. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let the basil infuse for 20 minutes and until the mixture has cooled. Strain out the basil and set the simple syrup aside.
- Peel a large English cucumber and cut it into chunks. Place it into your food processor and blender and pulse for 2 minutes. Remove mixture and place it into a fine mesh strainer and push out the juice into another bowl. Discard whatever cannot be pushed into the juice. Set aside.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 oz of basil simple syrup. 1 oz cucumber juice, 3 oz gin, 1 oz of lime juice and ice cubes. Shake shake shake and taste. If it’s too strong, add 1 more oz of basil simple syrup. Shake again and serve over ice.
And check out what my fellow Summer Fest contributors whipped up this week
Pinch My Salt: Chilled Cucumber, Kefir and Avocado Soup
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Radish-Cucumber Crostini
Big Girl Small Kitchen: Spicy Cucumber Salad with Shallot, Ginger and Mint
Grecian Kitchen: Summer Cucumber Salad
And Love It Too: Cucumber, Mint and Watermelon Salad
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cucumbers Coolers with Agave Simple Syrup
Cooking With My Kid: Cucumber Limeade
FN Dish: Summer Fest: Cucumber Recipes
CIA Dropout: Relishing Cucumbers
Healthy Eats: Cool Cucumber Soup
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Cucumber Cherry Salsa
Cooking With Elise: Green Tea Cucumber Pops
Glory Foods: Cucumber and Shrimp Boat
Virtually Vegan Mama: Fire-Roasted Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho
Food2: When Life Gives You Cucumbers, Make a Cucumber Cocktail
Cooking Channel: Cucumbers Stuffed with Crab-Mango Salad
Recipe Girl: Bread and Butter Pickles
Taste With the Eyes: Spicy Pickled Cucumbers with Wakame and Garlic Blossoms
Virtually Homemade: Cold Thai Cucumber-Mint Soup
Add a Pinch: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
The Cultural Dish: Ahi Tuna with Cucumber Sauce and Salad
Daily*Dishin: Cool n’ Zesty Cukes: 7 Minute Summer in a Jar
Daydreamer Desserts: Cubanita Margarita
Purple Cook: Cucumber Gazpacho with Indian Flavored Shrimp Relish
Indian Simmer: Cucumber at its Best with Chaat Masala
Big Apple Nosh: Quick and Easy Homemade Pickles
Sweet Life Bake: Agua de Pepino
The Sensitive Epicure: Tzatziki with Grilled Gluten-Free Pitas and Fresh Cucumbers and Peppers
Zaika Zabardast: Cucumber Gazpacho
A Way to Garden: Cucumber-Growing Q&A and the Best Pickles
Cooking with Books: Summer Fest: Cucumbers
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! I made some cucumber-basil pops last summer, but alcohol makes everything taste better
I’ll bet these are awesome!
Love this! I imagine the cucumber-basil combo is delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Love the jar. Love the straw. Love the lime. Love cucumbers.
I hope I get a few out of my garden this year so I can make these and watch the sunset!
Whoa! Very cool idea. Yum!
This sounds so delicious and refreshing, Gaby! Great idea!
Wait – where’s the BOOZE?!!! xxx
Looks so refreshing!
I could use one of these…right now
Looks like just what I need right now!
cucumbers are everywhere right now!
and I love your gimlet recipe!
Looks so refreshing!
I LOVE gimlets! I want one now, please.
Hello Gaby,
First time here, you have such a beautiful space. I am loving browsing through the pages.
Such a refreshing drink. I feel like gulping them down. Love the simplicity in the picture with just the food as your subject and no distracting props.
I think it should be mandatory that this drink be served in a Ball Jar. It just makes everything so much more fun. Cheers!
Yum! I can’t wait to try this!
My grandmother has made it to 91 on gimlets and is still going strong. I suppose its time I get on board! This looks refreshing and fabulous- can’t wait to try it!
I feel like I am at a spa thinking about this lovely cucumber drinky.
Sounds incredibly refreshing Gaby… PS: Girls night, just name the time and place!
This sounds very refreshing and delicious! Thanks for sharing Gaby!
This sounds great. I had a drink last summer with cucumber and vodka (I think) and it was extremely refreshing. I was trying to find a good cuke drink last week and I didn’t find anything past using the cucumber flavored vodka so thank you for posting this! I might even have everything to make it!
Oh, I can’t wait to try this drink! Looks, sounds, smells refreshing and delicious (wait i can’t smell it -seemed to though…must have been your beautiful picture!) ! Thanks for another beautiful and tasty recipe, Gaby! Stop on by Cooking with Elise, we love company!
Here’s my family’s recipe for sun pickles: http://crunchythriftycool.blogspot.com/2011/07/joining-in-cucumber-y-fun-sun-pickles.html
This is one of my favorite summer cocktails. Love gin. Love cucmber. Love love love it all with basil and lime. Yum.
Wow- I feel refreshed just looking at your pictures. Yum!
I recently was at an event where they were serving cocktails made with vodka infused with cucumbers and I was surprised by how delicious and refreshing it was. I can not wait to give this a try!
Looks great! Love your photos Gaby. I’ll throw this one into the mix: Chicken with Pickle Sauce
http://foodlets.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/chicken-with-pickle-sauce/
Found this recipe and your blog via Joan at Hammertown. So glad I did!!
We made these tonight! Perfect summer drink!! Cool! Refreshing! I added a little seltzer to my 2nd drink (they were going down a little too easy
)
Looking forward to trying many more of you recipes! Thanks!
I make mint simple syrup all the time for mojitos and have never thought about using basil! YUM!!
This reminds me of the awesome cucumber limeade cocktail (gin,cucumber, agave, mint) that I had poolside at Caeser’s Palace this week. I’m pretty sure this recipe won’t cost me $24 a serving either!
Looks mighty tasty!
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