Mocktails: the Cucumber Tumbler
I went to a gathering of my extended family over the balmy Columbus Day weekend. My aunt and I were talking about the Sidecar cocktails and she wanted to try one, so I brought along the fixins (it IS the year of the sidecar after all). But I knew there were other relatives who didn’t drink so I thought I would make them something too.
I wrote friend of the blog Brian Van Flandern, mixologist extraordinaire, what kind of a mocktail he would recommend since de-alcoholized wine shouldn’t even be served in Dante’s inferno. Brian came up with this cucumber tumbler recipe. It actually worked out great since my aunt’s garden had just yielded the last of its cukes, so I juiced those instead of the English ones Brian suggested. But use whatever cukes you can find–rip them off an unsuspecting sunbather if you have to. The drinks were a big hit.
Cucumber Tumbler
3 oz. of fresh cucumber juice
(juice down a whole English cucumber with the skins on and strain for a dark green bitter cucumber juice-the English cucumbers are the long skinny seedless kind that are usually sold with plastic wrap around them instead of wax).
1/4 oz. of fresh squeezed lime juice (the juice of a quarter lime)
1/4 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz. Ginger beer
Mix ingredients together and tumble roll back and forth (don’t shake the carbonated ginger beer). Then serve in a highball filled with ice. Garnish with a cucumber wheel. Enjoy.
-Brian Van Flandern
MyMixologist.com
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On October 11th, 2007 at 9:23 am ,Gretchen wrote:
Yummy… I love anything with cucumber in it! Also glad to hear that the Sidecar has been re-discovered… I have been enjoying them since I found the recipe for the perfect version in the original Princess Diaries book.
On October 12th, 2007 at 3:52 pm ,swirlingnotions wrote:
Wow does this sound fabulous . . . I agree with Gretchen, I love cucumbers in liquid concoctions!
On October 17th, 2007 at 6:55 am ,Lynne wrote:
I adore Sidecars! I threw a party once where we made Sidecars using Courvoisier, Cointreau, and fresh lemon juice, and while they were outstanding, it really broke the budget!
I’ve yet to find a bar that makes a quality sidecar, although I don’t hang out at places that have froo-froo drinks menus. Maybe I should …
On October 17th, 2007 at 7:22 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Gretchen – Funny about the Sidecar in Princess Diaries–they’re not just for grandmothers any more!
And Lynne, yes I started to calculate the cost of the Sidecar and I think it was about $5 for just the raw materials (my labor not included). I was outraged! Then I realized that a $30 bottle of wine probably has 6 glasses in it–or $5 each. So not too out of line…And there’s no shaking involved in serving wine!
Try the cucumber tumbler–they’re refreshing…and cheaper.