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05/05/2012

Cucumber Martini

Happy Cinco de Mayo to you!  How many of you are in an area that celebrates it?  My husband bartends at a Mexican restaurant, so he will be up to his elbows in margaritas all night tonight.  So I thought today would be fitting to share a little drink I finally perfected at home a few weeks back: my Cucumber Martini!

I shared this recipe with the readers over at Chic on Shoestring Decorating last month.  It’s getting to be deck weather here, and this is a great drink for entertaining.  It will be even better when everyone’s gardens are cranking out cucumbers… mmm. :)

I enjoy beverages that are off-the-beaten-path.  I especially like original martinis, and this one, I am proud to say is *truly* original.  There are certainly variations out there – I didn’t invent the whole idea, or anything – but this recipe came from our house!

I will give you the recipe first, and then I’ll walk you through a little bit of the prep.  There are a few things you’ll have to make before you can mix it up, but they are quick things and can be done well ahead of time, so that all you need to do when your guests arrive is shake up a couple and relax!

Adrianne’s Cucumber Martini

  • 1.5 oz. vodka
  • 1 oz. triple sec
  • 1 oz. simple syrup
  • 1 oz. cucumber juice
  • 1/2 oz. lime juice

If you’re new to the world of specialty martinis… welcome!  There is one ingredient that pops up a lot, and that’s simple syrup.  Simple syrup is equal parts of sugar and water (I make my batches one cup of each at a time), heated in a saucepan on low heat, until the sugar dissolves.  It takes about 5 minutes to make a small batch of simple syrup – your sugar will dissolve before your water comes to a boil.  I didn’t photograph this step because I had some on-hand, but if you’d like photographs of a syrup I made recently to see how it looks once the sugar dissolves, you can visit my post about the lemon-basil gimlet.

Perhaps you’re wondering about how in the world you’re going to juice a cucumber.  You’ll need a blender or a food processor for this step – to my knowledge, you can’t just buy this as an ingredient.

Wash your cucumber well, and cut off a few slices to set aside for your garnish.  Then, peel what’s left and cut it into chunks (this will make it easier for your food processor to handle).

Puree it.  You want it as close to liquefied as possible.  You may find that adding a tablespoon or so of water makes this process go more smoothly.  Then, you’ll strain your puree to remove anything solid.  Place your strainer over a bowl (I used a measuring cup and my small strainer) and spoon your puree into the strainer.  You can press down on the puree to squeeze as much juice as possible out – if a bit of pulp comes through, that’s okay.  Any pulp small enough to fit through your strainer will be fine.

I managed to get a little over 4 oz. of juice from one large cucumber, after I reserved 4 slices for garnishing, which is enough for 4 drinks.

Simple sugar lasts in the frig for months in a sealed container.  I just use a Mason jar for mine.  I’m not sure about the cucumber juice; I try to use fresh ingredients like this within three days.  But you can certainly prepare these ahead of time to save yourself the work later.

Now, the presentation for martinis is half the fun, really.  This drink is excellent with a sugared rim.  If you haven’t rimmed a glass before, the easiest way to do it is to rub it with fruit and dip it.  In our case – we are using cucumbers, so I rubbed it with a cucumber slice:

And then dipped the rim in a small mound of sugar.

Now, to shake it up.  For this, I really do advocate owning a shaker tin, though professional bartenders have been known to shake up drinks using two glasses stacked together.  I’m no pro, so I use my tin.

Fill your tin with ice.  This is how you’re going to chill your drink.  Now, measure your ingredients in.  I always recommend a top-shelf vodka when you’re making martinis.  Effen even makes a Cucumber Vodka that would be perfect here, but I used what we had in the house already.

Now just shake it up.  I always go by the rule that it’s shaken enough as soon as my fingers get cold. ;)  Now pour it…

Then add your cucumber garnish, and enjoy poolside, deckside, or anywhere you plan to relax!

~ Adrianne

Filed Under: Drinks, Featured, Recipes Tagged With: cocktails, cucumber, martini

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I love it when you love my work! All tutorials and photos published at Happy Hour Projects are copyrighted. If you would like to feature my tutorial on your website or share it on your social media you may use one photo to feature, as long as you provide a link back to the original post.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Petra says

    03/15/2019 at 6:10 pm

    Looked up a cucumber drink cuz that’s what I had a craving for. Saw this and had all ingredients on hand…OH EM GEE…Was so delish!

    Reply
  2. Terry says

    01/02/2014 at 5:57 pm

    Have you tried this with Cucumber Vodka? I have some and wondered if you’ve used it before. It’s a great alternative!

    Reply
  3. Blackie St James says

    07/22/2012 at 11:54 pm

    Just whipped up a batch with effen vodka. to save time, skipped pressing the cucumber pulp to squeeze out the liquid, and just used the pulp in the shaker. excellent recipe!

    Reply
  4. Trish - Mom On Timeout says

    05/16/2012 at 2:14 pm

    Pinning this 'cause I need me a drink! This look so refreshing and delish! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

    –Trish

    Reply
  5. Karen at Bargain-ista.com says

    05/15/2012 at 12:50 am

    Yum! I am going to have to try this! Looks so refreshing :)

    Reply
  6. Angie Ramirez says

    05/11/2012 at 7:04 am

    oh yummy! I so want one! Thanks for sharing!

    Angie

    Reply
  7. Terry says

    05/10/2012 at 1:48 pm

    These look amazing and I wanted to mention that your photos are spectacular. I especially love the finished product photo – totally makes me want a martini for breakfast. :) Thanks for sharing at our party this week.

    Reply
  8. Artsy VaVa says

    05/10/2012 at 1:41 am

    Yum! Can't wait to try this by the pool!!! Pinning it!

    Reply
  9. simona says

    05/09/2012 at 8:51 pm

    Mmm, never thought to make one with cucumber. I might just have to try it out! Thanks for the visuals, that always helps.

    Reply
  10. Patsy says

    05/09/2012 at 6:29 pm

    I saw this on Rock and Share. I think my hubby would love this. It sounds refreshing…a great martini for summer. I am a new follower. Patsy

    Reply
  11. Sharon says

    05/09/2012 at 2:29 pm

    This drink look so refreshing. I used to be a bartender, but it was so long ago that I don't remember many of the recipes.
    Thanks for sharing at Show & Tell.

    Sharon @ mrs. hines class

    Reply
  12. Kelsey says

    05/05/2012 at 4:50 pm

    Can't wait to give this a try! I love cucumbers :)

    Reply
  13. Jean says

    05/05/2012 at 11:03 am

    These look delicious!! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

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