Saturday is World Gin Day, and I'd be remissed if I didn’t take this opportunity to help you celebrate.
Gin is, no doubt, one of my favorite spirits. Considering the American cocktail renaissance that's still underway, I wouldn’t be surprised if gin experienced its own revival. I’ve seen several talented Tampa Bay bartenders (I’m over “mixologist” — sorry, not sorry) find ways to complement the wonderful, complex flavors of a good gin. If your only thoughts are “tastes like pine trees,” I urge you to visit your favorite cocktail lounge and open your mind to whole ’nother world of gin.
But, in the meantime, make my watermelon cucumber gimlet.
This week, our elevated twist on the classic cucumber gimlet calls for in-season produce. It’s important to use light flavors that enhance, not overpower, the gin.
In the past, I’ve provided substitutes for certain recipes’ liquor. Not this time. Could you use vodka? Yes. Should you? No. It simply won’t be as good. I recommend Beefeater Gin, which is what I went with, but you could also go for Bombay, or Bombay Sapphire if you’re feeling fancy.
The watermelon cucumber gimlet is refreshing and hard to not drink at a college-party pace. Give it a try, then you’ll understand why I get excited any time I see a gin cocktail on the menu.
Watermelon Cucumber Gimlet
Makes 1
2 cups seedless watermelon, pureed (about 1/8 of a full watermelon)
1 cucumber, pureed
2 ounces gin
1 ounce simple syrup
Juice of half a lime
Puree the watermelon (not the green or white part, just the red) in a blender until fully liquified. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the pulp. Peel the cucumber and repeat the same process. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add all the ingredients and shake. Fill a Collins glass with ice and pour in beverage. Garnish with a cucumber or watermelon chunk.
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