Cucumber Saketini Recipe

Make cucumber juice

Peel about 2–3 inches of a fresh English cucumber (or a third of a standard cucumber). Roughly chop and place in a blender. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a small container to yield roughly 1 ounce of clear cucumber juice. Press solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

Chill glass

Place your martini or coupe glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you prepare the cocktail so it will be nicely chilled.

Build and shake

Add 2 oz shochu, 1 oz chilled sake, 1 oz fresh cucumber juice, 0.5 tsp simple syrup, and 0.25 oz fresh lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice (about 1 cup) and secure the lid.

Shake

Shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the shaker is very cold to the touch and diluted slightly.

Double strain and serve

Empty the ice water from your chilled glass if used. Using the shaker strainer and optional fine mesh strainer, double-strain the cocktail into the chilled glass to remove any ice shards and cucumber solids for a silky finish.

Garnish

Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to create a long cucumber ribbon and place it inside the glass coiling along the wall, then float a thin cucumber wheel on top. Serve immediately.

Rinse blender and strainer promptly to prevent cucumber residue from drying. Dry and return tools to storage.