Ingredients
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass.
- Put the cucumber in a mixing glass and muddle it.
- Add the gin, dry vermouth, and ice.
- Stir for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with the thin cucumber slices and a dill sprig.
Variations and Substitutions
This is a delightful, crisp, botanical wonder, but you've got wiggle room to play.
- Replace the gin with an equal amount of vodka for a delicious cucumber vodka drink.
- Experiment with the different types of gin you use. For example, use Hendricks gin for a more floral flavor or Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin for more citrus and coriander notes.
- Muddle cucumber in a lemon drop martini for a sweet-tart twist.
- Muddle cucumber in a cosmopolitan cocktail.
- Add a few basil leaves to muddle with the cucumber.
- Muddle some dill with the cucumber.
Garnishes
Support the botanical notes of this martini with a delicate, feathery piece of dill and cucumber slices. You can also garnish with a citrus peel or a dried citrus slice. For an elegant and summery presentation, use an edible flower garnish.
About the Cucumber Martini
Cucumber and gin have quite the affinity (try them together with mint in an eastside cocktail); the refreshing melon notes of the cucumber blend beautifully with the botanical notes of a delicious dry gin. For best results, peel the cucumber before you muddle it; this will make muddling easier and release more of cucumber's unique flavors. This is a martini meant to be served cold, as the crisp and refreshing notes sing when the drink is highly chilled.
The Salad Days of Summer
Whether served in a salad or a cocktail, cucumbers are the quintessential summer ingredient. When paired with aromatic gin, they evoke simple, sultry summer evenings spent on the porch with a cool drink and a summer breeze.
