Even though it’s been a cloudy, rainy summer, it’s still hot and humid. The kind of weather that makes me obsess about keeping cool and that obsession has spilled over into my cocktails. (Haha, spilled and I’m talking about drinks!) So when it comes to refreshing summer drinks that take my mind off the heat, gin and tonics are at the top of my list. And the Thai Beef Salad I just made had cucumber and basil, so stumbling upon this Cucumber Basil Gin and Tonic recipe on my Drinks board was beyond lucky. It fits this week’s ingredient theme and will help me beat the heat. Total win-win!
Gin, tonic, basil, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and cucumber. That’s what you need to make one of the most refreshing and delicious cocktails you’ve ever had. This drink would be perfect to serve up to Dad on Father’s Day, or to lounge outside with on a hot summer day.
The Ingredients
Left to my own devices, I’m a gin and tonic kind of girl, but I’m also a bit lazy. Gin, tonic, and ice is my go-to cocktail. I’m usually too lazy to bother with lime, so the ingredients for this cocktail was a little long for me even though it really only has a few ingredients. I would make the worst bartender!
I had the elderflower liqueur but had to shop for everything else. A quick trip to the grocery and liquor stores had me sorted. I even managed to find Q Tonic Water at the grocery store, so I splurged on a six-pack.
The Process
This isn’t a complicated recipe, and it was easy to make for the most part. I had two drinks garnished and poured in 8 minutes, slightly longer than the five minutes listed.
The slowdown was with the cucumber strips used to garnish the cocktails. My vegetable peeler shaved paper-thin strips of cucumber that were very delicate. They were also very difficult to position inside the glasses. Every time I thought I had them placed, they would fall to the bottom of the glass before I could add the ice. Grr!
I had a much easier time doing the same style of garnish for the Spanish Gin Tonics I made a while back. I used my mandoline on the cucumber garnish for that cocktail, and it gave me thicker slices. They were much sturdier and I had no trouble positioning them in the glass. It made a difference, so I recommend a mandoline if you have one.
Once the cucumbers and ice were taken care of, the rest went swimmingly. It was a simple matter of adding a few ingredients to a cocktail shaker, muddling them, adding ice, and shaking it all. Then just pour, top with tonic (I used one 6.7 ounce bottle per cocktail), and pop in a sprig of basil to garnish. Tada! Two beautiful cocktails to cool down with.