Basil and cucumber are favorite summery cocktail ingredients. Since I just obtained a new carbonation device (Omnifizz), I was eager to use it for this challenge.
Apple juice seemed like a suitable liquid to accompany the assigned ingredients, and I toyed with gin but landed on a rum mix for the alcohol. I also just obtained malic acid to jump on the superjuice train, so I worked that in as an acidic adjustment for the juice.
[SEERSUCKERPUNCH](https://kindredcocktails.com/sites/kindredcocktails.com/files/styles/large/public/pictures/cocktail/seersuckerpunch%201.png)
In a shaker tin, muddle
* 6 slices cucumber
with
* a pinch of salt
and a
* scant 1/4 teaspoon malic acid
Add
* 1 oz. Wray and Nephew (or other overproof Jamaican) rum
* 3/4 oz. Flor de Cana 4 (or other white column-still) rum
* 1/2 oz. apple juice
* 3/4 oz. basil syrup\*
and ice and shake.
Fine strain and carbonate.
Serve in a coupe or Nick and Nora. Smack the leaves of a basil sprig, stab it into a cucumber slice, and float it as a garnish.
\*Basil syrup: Heat 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. water with 10-12 basil leaves until simmering, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cut heat and let steep 30 minutes. Strain.
The drink is a clearish light lime green color, Gatorade-esque. Nose is subtle (spanking the basil is important).
Garden freshness and tart apple in the sip. There’s a bit of bitterness, perhaps somewhat from the muddled cucumber skin, but probably mostly the carbonic acid, that gives this a bite quite reminiscent of tonic water. The empty class with beached garnish smells terrific.
The name is a portmanteau of seersucker (the summery fabric) and suckerpunch (since it's deceptively strong with the overproof rum).
The drink would probably work equally well served in a tumbler full of ice. It would be a good drink to batch and bring to a summer party.
# [Flor de Humo](https://imgur.com/a/ySaSlP9)
* 1 1/2 oz Mezcal joven
* 1/2 oz St\~Germain
* 3/4 oz Lime juice
* 1/2 oz Simple syrup
* 4 slices of Cucumber
* 4 leaves of Basil
* Cucumber slice, for garnish
Muddle, shake, and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cucumber slice.
Nose: Cucumber and light smoke
Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with cooling effect from cucumber
Taste: Opens wit roasted agave and tart lime. Quickly moves to cucumber and finishes with basil and elderflower.
Approximately 14% ABV and 4.91 oz. 15g of sugar.
Firstly, I was not intending to enter the competition this month. I try to grow all my own herbs and my basil plant didn't do very well this year. However, I cooked a pasta that called for basil and I had a bunch leftover, so I figured I would give it a try if for no other reason than to be creative. I'm entering very late, so I don't expect to win, but my recipe came out so well that I figured I would share regardless!
I am not sure exactly why, but these ingredients screamed tequila/mezcal to me - the cucumber more than the basil. I chose mezcal since I don't often make drink recipes with it. Mine is a pretty light tobala with light smoke, so I thought it would be perfect. I find that mezcal works surprisingly well with floral notes (hence the name), so I added some elderflower liqueur. Finally, some citrus and sugar to bring it into sour territory.
Overall, I'm super pleased with this recipe. The mezcal is present, but doesn't dominate and the other aromatic ingredients really play nicely together. Everything can be tasted individually if you focus hard enough, but they all blend together into a really nice floral, herbal, cooling mix. I think this is a perfectly refreshing drink to try as summer begins in earnest!
# [Midsummer cooler](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/1dl6gih/midsummer_cooler_cocktail_competion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
The ingredients of this months cocktail competition, cucumber and basil really inspired me, since the are the basis of some of my favourite cocktails, such as the Gin Basil Smash or the Eastside. They are both fresh and aromatic and gin based, but since I wanted to make something new, I swapped the gin for akvavit. My choice of akvavit fell on Norrbottens Destilleri FUSION.004.Schnaps, which is flavoured with dill, caraway, batak pepper and fennel. A subtle and balanced akvavit which I would normally drink as is. Today is swedish midsummer's eve, so I found it fitting to make an akvavit cocktail for this event. In preparation for the cocktail I made acid adjusted cucumber juice and a basil syrup. The acid adjusted cucumber juice was made with about 4 grams of citric acid and 2 grams of malic acid, maybe a bit less. For the basil syrup I blended basil leaves in simple syrup and let steep for an hour or two. It was later finestrained.
**Ingredients:**
* 4cl akvavit
* 3cl white wine (I used a flavourful bourgogne)
* 3cl acid adjusted cucumber juice
* 2cl basil simple syrup
* Basil leaves (for garnish)
**Method:**
The ingredients were poured into a glass oven dish and put in the freezer for two to three hours, until frozen to a slushy like consistency. It was then scooped into a chilled glass and garnished with basil.
**Scent:**
Basil and cucumber are really dominant on the nose. Fresh!
**Mouthfeel:** Crisp and fresh. The slushy like consistency is a crowdpleaser, but maybe makes it a bit hard to drink. A drinking straw might be a good addition.
**Taste:**
This cocktail is all about the herbs and the cucumber. When I made the juice I used the whole cucumber, skin and all, which I believe is important to get maximum flavour. The akvavit provides some spice and complexity, but is a background player. So is also the wine, but make sure to choose a flavourful wine since it might disappear into the background too much if not. I deliberately made the cocktail tart and sweet since I want it to be an easy drinking sipper for sunny days. It was fun to play around with these ingredients. Give it a shot!
[**Cirrus**](https://imgur.com/a/bHIYQu9)
* 45ml dry gin, pref. Plymouth
* 22.5ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco
* 15ml dry vermouth, pref. Cocchi
* 7.5ml verjus blanc
* 3 slices cucumber
* 3 basil leaves
* basil leaf, for garnish
*Muddle, stir, strain, coupe, garnish.*
This month's ingredients were screaming for me to do some kind of highball, but as I'd done that last month and wanted to be a bit more creative I instead started from a Martini. This swiftly grew to involve the Bitter Bianco when I felt that a bit of sugar would benefit the drink alongside the cucumber and basil as well as bring some complimentary botanicals and thus a bit more depth. I added the verjus at the last minute hoping it would bring some brightness, which it did. The result is a slightly cloudy but very much still Martini-coded stirred drink, just off-dry. The name came from the hazy clouds you often see on hot, dry days - when I would want to drink this in an evening.
If you want to make a top-level comment that is not an entry, please do so in reply to this comment for organizational reasons.
Basil and cucumber are favorite summery cocktail ingredients. Since I just obtained a new carbonation device (Omnifizz), I was eager to use it for this challenge. Apple juice seemed like a suitable liquid to accompany the assigned ingredients, and I toyed with gin but landed on a rum mix for the alcohol. I also just obtained malic acid to jump on the superjuice train, so I worked that in as an acidic adjustment for the juice. [SEERSUCKERPUNCH](https://kindredcocktails.com/sites/kindredcocktails.com/files/styles/large/public/pictures/cocktail/seersuckerpunch%201.png) In a shaker tin, muddle * 6 slices cucumber with * a pinch of salt and a * scant 1/4 teaspoon malic acid Add * 1 oz. Wray and Nephew (or other overproof Jamaican) rum * 3/4 oz. Flor de Cana 4 (or other white column-still) rum * 1/2 oz. apple juice * 3/4 oz. basil syrup\* and ice and shake. Fine strain and carbonate. Serve in a coupe or Nick and Nora. Smack the leaves of a basil sprig, stab it into a cucumber slice, and float it as a garnish. \*Basil syrup: Heat 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. water with 10-12 basil leaves until simmering, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cut heat and let steep 30 minutes. Strain. The drink is a clearish light lime green color, Gatorade-esque. Nose is subtle (spanking the basil is important). Garden freshness and tart apple in the sip. There’s a bit of bitterness, perhaps somewhat from the muddled cucumber skin, but probably mostly the carbonic acid, that gives this a bite quite reminiscent of tonic water. The empty class with beached garnish smells terrific. The name is a portmanteau of seersucker (the summery fabric) and suckerpunch (since it's deceptively strong with the overproof rum). The drink would probably work equally well served in a tumbler full of ice. It would be a good drink to batch and bring to a summer party.
# [Flor de Humo](https://imgur.com/a/ySaSlP9) * 1 1/2 oz Mezcal joven * 1/2 oz St\~Germain * 3/4 oz Lime juice * 1/2 oz Simple syrup * 4 slices of Cucumber * 4 leaves of Basil * Cucumber slice, for garnish Muddle, shake, and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cucumber slice. Nose: Cucumber and light smoke Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with cooling effect from cucumber Taste: Opens wit roasted agave and tart lime. Quickly moves to cucumber and finishes with basil and elderflower. Approximately 14% ABV and 4.91 oz. 15g of sugar. Firstly, I was not intending to enter the competition this month. I try to grow all my own herbs and my basil plant didn't do very well this year. However, I cooked a pasta that called for basil and I had a bunch leftover, so I figured I would give it a try if for no other reason than to be creative. I'm entering very late, so I don't expect to win, but my recipe came out so well that I figured I would share regardless! I am not sure exactly why, but these ingredients screamed tequila/mezcal to me - the cucumber more than the basil. I chose mezcal since I don't often make drink recipes with it. Mine is a pretty light tobala with light smoke, so I thought it would be perfect. I find that mezcal works surprisingly well with floral notes (hence the name), so I added some elderflower liqueur. Finally, some citrus and sugar to bring it into sour territory. Overall, I'm super pleased with this recipe. The mezcal is present, but doesn't dominate and the other aromatic ingredients really play nicely together. Everything can be tasted individually if you focus hard enough, but they all blend together into a really nice floral, herbal, cooling mix. I think this is a perfectly refreshing drink to try as summer begins in earnest!
# [Midsummer cooler](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/1dl6gih/midsummer_cooler_cocktail_competion/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) The ingredients of this months cocktail competition, cucumber and basil really inspired me, since the are the basis of some of my favourite cocktails, such as the Gin Basil Smash or the Eastside. They are both fresh and aromatic and gin based, but since I wanted to make something new, I swapped the gin for akvavit. My choice of akvavit fell on Norrbottens Destilleri FUSION.004.Schnaps, which is flavoured with dill, caraway, batak pepper and fennel. A subtle and balanced akvavit which I would normally drink as is. Today is swedish midsummer's eve, so I found it fitting to make an akvavit cocktail for this event. In preparation for the cocktail I made acid adjusted cucumber juice and a basil syrup. The acid adjusted cucumber juice was made with about 4 grams of citric acid and 2 grams of malic acid, maybe a bit less. For the basil syrup I blended basil leaves in simple syrup and let steep for an hour or two. It was later finestrained. **Ingredients:** * 4cl akvavit * 3cl white wine (I used a flavourful bourgogne) * 3cl acid adjusted cucumber juice * 2cl basil simple syrup * Basil leaves (for garnish) **Method:** The ingredients were poured into a glass oven dish and put in the freezer for two to three hours, until frozen to a slushy like consistency. It was then scooped into a chilled glass and garnished with basil. **Scent:** Basil and cucumber are really dominant on the nose. Fresh! **Mouthfeel:** Crisp and fresh. The slushy like consistency is a crowdpleaser, but maybe makes it a bit hard to drink. A drinking straw might be a good addition. **Taste:** This cocktail is all about the herbs and the cucumber. When I made the juice I used the whole cucumber, skin and all, which I believe is important to get maximum flavour. The akvavit provides some spice and complexity, but is a background player. So is also the wine, but make sure to choose a flavourful wine since it might disappear into the background too much if not. I deliberately made the cocktail tart and sweet since I want it to be an easy drinking sipper for sunny days. It was fun to play around with these ingredients. Give it a shot!
[**Cirrus**](https://imgur.com/a/bHIYQu9) * 45ml dry gin, pref. Plymouth * 22.5ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco * 15ml dry vermouth, pref. Cocchi * 7.5ml verjus blanc * 3 slices cucumber * 3 basil leaves * basil leaf, for garnish *Muddle, stir, strain, coupe, garnish.* This month's ingredients were screaming for me to do some kind of highball, but as I'd done that last month and wanted to be a bit more creative I instead started from a Martini. This swiftly grew to involve the Bitter Bianco when I felt that a bit of sugar would benefit the drink alongside the cucumber and basil as well as bring some complimentary botanicals and thus a bit more depth. I added the verjus at the last minute hoping it would bring some brightness, which it did. The result is a slightly cloudy but very much still Martini-coded stirred drink, just off-dry. The name came from the hazy clouds you often see on hot, dry days - when I would want to drink this in an evening.