Cucumber Gin Spritzers Food

STRAWBERRY-CUCUMBER GIN-ELDERFLOWER SPRITZ

Steps:

• Muddle sliced strawberries, halved cucumber slices, sugar, and lemon juice in the bottom of a pitcher until fruits break down and release most of their juices and sugar has dissolved. Stir in gin and St-Germain to combine. Fill 6 glasses halfway with ice. Divide fruit-and-gin mixture evenly among glasses. Top each with 1 to 2 ounces club soda; stir once. Top each with a few dashes of bitters, whole strawberries, and cucumber rounds; serve immediately.

BLACKBERRY, CUCUMBER, GINGER SPRITZER

Steps:

• For the sipping vinegar: Mash the blackberries and sugar together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 days, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar to the macerated blackberries and refrigerate for another day. Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Transfer your sipping vinegar to a container.
• For the herbal tea: Combine the ginger and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tea bags and turn off the heat. Let the mixture steep for 5 minutes, then strain and cool.
• For the spritzer: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add 2 ounces blackberry sipping vinegar, 2 ounces cooled herbal tea, 1/2 ounce lemon juice and 1/2 ounce elderflower syrup. Shake vigorously and pour over a glass filled with ice. Top off with some seltzer and garnish with 3 cucumber slices, 1 ginger coin and a mint sprig. Repeat.

CUCUMBER & ELDERFLOWER SPRITZER

Steps:

• Chop the cucumber into a few chunks, then put in a blender or food processor with the wine and elderflower cordial. Whizz until well blended, then pour through a sieve set over a large bowl or jug. Tip the contents of the sieve back into the machine, whizz again until pulpy, then sieve again into the liquid already collected. Add 1-2 tbsp of the cucumber pulp from the sieve into the liquid and discard the rest. Chill until ready to serve.
• To serve, fill glasses with a few ice cubes and some mint leaves. Pour in enough cucumber base to come halfway up the glass, then top up with soda water.

CUCUMBER GIN COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, shave 4 long, thin ribbons from cucumber; set aside. Cut a 4" piece from remaining cucumber and coarsely chop. Muddle with kaffir lime leaves, sugar, and 2 lemon slices in a cocktail shaker. Add gin and lime juice and fill shaker with ice. Cover and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 20 seconds.
• Strain into 2 ice-filled Collins glasses. Top off each with club soda. Gently stir to combine; garnish each with 2 reserved cucumber ribbons and remaining lemon slices.