Cucumber and Tonic

Name: Cucumber and Tonic
Yield: 2 drinks
Ingredients: 1/2 cucumber, preferably hothouse; 4 thin slices of lime; 2 sprigs mint; Tonic or soda water, to taste; Peychaud's bitters, to taste (optional)

By Alison Roman

Rating: 4(440)
Comments: Read comments

An evolution of soda water with bitters, think of this as a spin on the gin and tonic. Vegetal cucumber and herby mint replace the botanicals in the gin. If tonic water is too bitter for you, swap in soda water instead. And, if you're eschewing alcohol in all its forms, skip the bitters. (They do contain alcohol, though it's diluted here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:2 drinks

½cucumber, preferably hothouse
4thin slices of lime
2sprigs mint
Tonic or soda water, to taste
Peychaud's bitters, to taste (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise until you have long, wide ribbons.
Step 2
Place a few slices of lime and mint leaves in the bottom of a Collins glass, or other tall glass, and, using a wooden spoon, lightly muddle them to release the juices in the lime and oils in the mint. Add a few strips of cucumber and fill the glass with ice (crushed, if you’ve got it).
Step 3
Top with tonic water and a few dashes of bitters, if using.

Ratings

4 out of 5

440 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Comments

AJ7 years ago

Use a high-end tonic for a more complex flavor and a more quenching beverage. Average tonic water tends to be too sweet.

Andie7 years ago

Used my favorite tonic, Fevertree. Really delicious and refreshing!

,North Bay Wired4 years ago

Tried this all 3 ways suggested in the notes: 1. Recipe with Topo Chico mineral water: Good, but a bit meh. Missed the bitter aspect of tonic water; 2. Recipe with tonic water: Very good, especially using Fever Tree tonic water; 3. Recipe with gin and tonic water: Outstanding. Bombay Sapphire and Fever Tree tonic water. The cucumber and mint elevates the drink to the ethereal gin and tonic.

Nancy4 months ago

Sitting here in Melbourne, Australia, in 37C heat. This drink is spectacular! Used Fever Tree Tonic!!!

Max Entropy4 months ago

Union Square Cafe has a similar cocktail that includes Fresno chili and cilantro. ANyone know the recipe?

Highlander Rob of the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania10 months ago

This is a very good Mocktail for my Meatless Mondays dinners. It is a clean and subtle that lends itself to my simple pasta dinners. I too think a premium tonic water is best and the Fever-Tree Tonic Water is crisp and refreshing for flavors of mint, lime and cucumber. Using my Kuhn vegetable peeler for those long strips of cucumber added to the tall glass before ice. Plus I prefer to use my mortar & pestle to release the oils in the mint and lime, because it releases more au jus for this N/A.

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