Patio Sipper: Cucumber, Gin and Rose Cocktail
This refreshingly boozy patio sipper is essentially Hendricks Gin, the cocktail. It's got a little rose water, a little fresh juiced English cucumber and a few unusual ingredients to spice things up.
I'm not typically a fan of cucumbers in food—they strike me as more filler than delicious—but I've always enjoyed them in a drink, whether it's ice water or a fizzy summer cocktail. This drink isn't bubbly, but it certainly is summery, stunningly green and, like most of my favorite cocktails, potent. Here's the recipe:
Cucumber, Gin and Rose Cocktail:
-2 ounces Tanqueray Gin (the best, IMHO)
-1/3 cup English cucumber juice (use a juicer)
-Juice from 1/2 to 1 lime
-A couple drops of Rose Water (go easy on this stuff, it's quite perfumey)
-1-2 Tsp Indian-spiced syrup (depends how sweet you like it, recipe below)
-Fresh rose petals for garnish
Shake all ingredients over ice. Taste to make sure it's sweet and/or sour to your liking and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a couple of fresh rose petals.
Indian Spiced Simple Syrup:
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 cup water
-5 whole cloves
-3 star anise seeds
-10 black peppercorns
Place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and let the spices mingle with the simple syrup for 5 minutes. Strain off the spices and pour the simple syrup into a small mason jar.
