Wednesday, July 30, 2008

hello, gordon


White wine or rosé is my go-to drink in the summer, mainly for sheer ease. Just pour and drink. Repeat.

But for dinner parties, or after an especially long day, it's nice to serve something a little more exciting. Apologies to Paloma, but I think I'm a Gordon girl now. I discovered the Gordon's Cup (adapted from Bon Appétit) via Orangette, my favorite food blogger, and man oh man, am I hooked. It's a summery blend of cucumber, lime, and deliciously herbal gin, served over ice. I was unable to find the original recipe, which I think calls for Gordon's gin, hence the name. An Epicurious search only returned a recipe for "Gordon's pot roast," which doesn't sound nearly as refreshing.

Gordon's Cup
(Serves 1)
One tip: Maybe I'm a wimp, but I found muddling the cucumber a bit difficult. I smashed with all of my might, but several big chunks of cucumber didn't seem to want to break down. So you might want to give your cukes a very, very quick whizz in the food processor–don't puree, just roughly chop–or bash the cucumber slices in a mortar and pestle before muddling it with the limes. You definitely want the lime and cucumber juice to mix, because that's all that cuts the gin.


1/2 of a small lime, cut into six wedges
2 1-inch slices of peeled cucumber
¼ cup gin (I used Tanqueray)
1 to 1 ½ Tbsp. simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled then cooled)
1 handful of ice
Pinch of salt
Sprig of mint

Place the lime and the cucumber in a cocktail shaker or sturdy glass and mash with a muddler or wooden spoon (or food processor, if you're weak) until the lime is juiced and the cucumber is pulpy. Add the gin, 1 Tbsp. simple syrup, and ice. Cover, and shake vigorously three times. Taste and adjust, if necessary. Strain the contents of the shaker into a glass, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve with or without extra ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

7 comments:

krysta said...

i normally hate gin but i think this might be good.

Lisa said...

Hi Krysta!

It would totally change the drink, but you could substitute vodka for the gin, if you wanted. I know some people don't like/can't drink gin.

Lisa

Vanessa said...

Yum yum yum! I had a cucumber martini last night at this place called Monti's here in Santa Rosa, and my friend who works there told me all it is is pureed cucumber, mint-infused simple syrup, some lemon, and gin. It was real good in a way that this drink sounds like it might be.

Daniel said...

Cuke-tini?

Anonymous said...

So-
This drink recipe brings back Juniper berry-scented memories of two giddy girls jumping into walls at a big swanky bar-booth thingee in St. Louis.
Ahh.. gin.
I just might have to make a Gordon to honor those two silly girls.

Lisa said...

oh, man. I think I permanently damaged my nose when I smashed into the side of that booth. Jumping. In heels.

Ah, gin. Good times!

Anonymous said...

If you make a Gordon's Cup, you should use Hendrick's Gin if you can. It's infused with cucumber, so it goes best with this drink--makes a difference!

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