A deliciously refreshing sour gin cocktail made with Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, cucumber, mint, and sparkling water.

Sparkling Cucumber Gimlet with Mint

Gin cocktails are my jam. I'm not exactly sure why, but most of the time, they are what I'm drawn to when I'm in a cocktail kind of mood. And, the Gimlet is one of my favorites.

A classic Gimlet is simply gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. Many recipes substitute the lime juice and simple syrup with some Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, which I love because it saves the step of making simple syrup and, in my opinion, makes an even tastier cocktail. (More about that, including homemade Lime Juice Cordial in the recipe below.)

I also like to add some sparkling water to my Gimlet. Without sparkling water, you essentially have a slightly sweet gin martini that should probably be served in a martini glass.

That's fine, but there's something about a Gimlet that makes me want to drink it from a taller glass, filled with ice. And adding some muddled cucumber and mint make this cocktail deliciously refreshing.

Yield: 2 drinks

Cucumber Gimlet with Mint

A deliciously refreshing sour gin cocktail made with Rose's Lime Juice Cordial, cucumber, mint, and sparkling water.

Ingredients

5 slices of an English Cucumber
4 or 5 sprigs of mint
5 oz. gin
4 oz [Rose's Lime Juice]
Sparkling mineral water, seltzer, or lemon-lime soda (see note)

Instructions

Fill two glasses with ice.
Add the cucumber slices and mint to a cocktail shaker. Pour in the gin and use a cocktail muddler to smash up the cucumber and lime, releasing their flavor into the gin.
Add the Rose's Lime Juice and a handful of ice. Shake the cocktail vigorously for a minute or so (or use a spoon to stir it around).
Pour the liquid into the ice filled glasses and top with sparkling water or lemon-lime soda.

Notes

Should you use sparkling water (seltzer) or lemon-lime juice?

This recipe makes for gimlets that are on the tart side. Not really liking sweet drinks, I love how tart they are. If you prefer your cocktails to be a bit more sweet, use lemon lime soda instead of the sparkling mineral water or seltzer.

If you're not a fan of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial...

I know there are a lot of people who don't like Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. (For my whole diatribe about why I think the haters should just relax, click over to this recipe for Pomegranate Margaritas.)

Most people don't like it because it contains corn syrup. But, only the Rose's Lime Juice that's made in the USA includes corn syrup. The UK and Canadian versions are made with real sugar.

Thanks to the wonders of online shopping, you can easily get your hands on the sugar-made version by ordering it online: Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial.

Substitutions for Rose's Lime Juice Cordial:

If you don’t really want to bother with Rose’s Lime Juice at all, no worries. Whipping up a batch of homemade lime cordial is super easy:

Add 1 cup (250g) sugar, 8oz water, 2oz lime juice, 2oz lime peel, and 1oz citric acid in a blender.
Blend for about 30 seconds, strain, bottle and refrigerate.

You can also just increase the amount of fresh lime juice and add a few ounces of simple syrup.

Comments

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- RebeccaBlackwell says
  
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Cucumber Gimlet with Mint

Sparkling Cucumber Gimlet with Mint