Y Cucumber Martini Recipe

Chill glass

Place a martini or coupe glass in the freezer for at least 5 minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to ensure the drink stays cold.

Prepare cucumber juice

Trim a small English cucumber. Cut into chunks and pulse in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a measuring cup, pressing to extract about 1 ounce (30 ml) of juice. Discard pulp or save for another use.

Build and shake

In a cocktail shaker, add 1 cup of ice, 2.5 oz dry gin, 0.5 oz cucumber vodka, 1 oz fresh cucumber juice, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, and 0.25 oz simple syrup. Secure the shaker and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is well chilled.

Double strain and serve

Empty the ice or remove the glass from the freezer. Using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh strainer, double-strain the shaken cocktail into the chilled martini or coupe glass to remove ice shards and any small cucumber bits.

Make a cucumber ribbon by using a vegetable peeler to shave long thin strips from the cucumber lengthwise. Thread the ribbon onto a small cocktail pick or curl it inside the glass so it sits along the inside wall. Add a lime twist or a thin lime wheel on the rim or floated on top. Serve immediately.