#1: Persian Cucumber Gin Rickey

So the first drink that Shannon and I chose to make was a Gin Rickey - we found some Persian cucumbers at the store today, so we decided to incorporate them. The drink is known to be one of the most refreshing cocktails, and in our opinion the cucumber adds even more refreshment.

Alright - technical stuff... The recipe we used is as follows:

2 oz Tanqueray Gin

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

.25 oz Agave Nectar (simple syrup can be used)

1 Persian cucumber

Club Soda

I mixed the Gin, Lime juice and Agave nectar together and set it aside. I then sliced the cucumber, added it, some ice and a bit of the liquid mixture in a shaker and muddled the cucumber. After muddling, I filled the shaker with ice and poured in the rest of the liquid. A quick shake, and I poured the entire contents of the shaker into a highball glass, topped off with ice and a splash of club soda.

Now that that is all said and done, lets get into why we chose each ingredient.

• First the alcohol - Tanqueray is a fantastic gin and probably the best selling one in the U.S. I chose it for the drink tonight because, besides being delicious, it was the closest bottle of gin to me.
• Fresh lime juice - don't bother with the bottled lime juice, no matter how many times it says "real" on the packaging. Your cocktails will ALWAYS come out better with freshly squeezed lime juice.
• Agave Nectar - still relatively new on the home cocktail market, I discovered this stuff while working on the Spirits desk at Safeway. The brand I use is Tres Agaves. Healthier for you than the simple syrup (sugar water), it adds a bit of fruitiness & floral notes to the drink (they are slight, but in my opinion, there). I have also heard its ok for diabetics to drink... don't quote me, but that's what I've heard. Simple syrup is an alternative that is perfectly good to use. Also note that typically a Gin Rickey does not include a sweetener (agave nectar/simple syrup) but we think it adds a lot and really compliments the cucumber. In fact for a slightly sweeter drink (which is just as delicious) just add a half ounce instead of a quarter.
• Cucumber, as I said above, adds a refreshment quality that you really can't get anywhere else. Plus, you can consider it a serving of fruits & vegetables (well, at least I do). We chose the Persian variety because we had never used them before.