Cucumber Basil Gimlet

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
Recipe Type: Cocktail
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1-2 oz basil simple syrup (water, sugar, basil)
  • 1 oz cucumber juice (English cucumber)
  • 3 oz gin
  • 1 oz lime juice
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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For more great recipes check out the complete recipe index here

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50 thoughts on “Cucumber Basil Gimlet”

  1. Pingback: Big Apple Nosh: NYC Food Blog | New York | Food | Restaurants | Recipes | Reviews | Veggie Resolution #10: Pickles

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  7. 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!

    Reply

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  22. 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.

    Reply

  29. Pingback: Summer Fest: Cool Cucumber Soup | 2Well

  30. 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!

    Reply

  31. 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!

    Reply

  35. 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!

    Reply

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  38. 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!

    Reply

  39. Pingback: Summer Fest: Cucumber Recipes | peppercooking.com

  41. 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!

    Reply

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  50. As a grad student with a limited kitchen, I find that using a french press to get the cucumber juice out works well if you don’t have a large strainer. My friends rave about this

    Reply

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