There’s something so refreshing about a cucumber cocktail. It’s like a spa day and happy hour wrapped it one amazing beverage. They’re great for a refreshing summer drink, but really you can make them all year round.
A collins cocktail is traditionally made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda water. I love the little bit of bubbles in it, the tartness of the lemon but also the hint of sweet. Plus, when you use a good gin, you also get a bit of that herbal earthy note to it too.
The great thing about a classic Tom Collins cocktail is you can switch it up a bit. It’s nice to have a recipe to work off of and you can just adjust accordingly. Sort of like a margarita. Great as is, but why not try a few fun add-ins or substitutions?
A classic Tom Collins is simply gin, lemon juice and simple syrup, topped with a splah of soda water. Switching it up is so easy. From adding in fresh fruits to muddle, or herbs for more herbal notes, you can really get creative. For today’s cocktail, I’m just adding in some fresh cucumber and switching the citrus from lemon to lime. Oh and a few sprigs of mint to brighten it all up too.
If you want to be extra fancy, you can make a mint-infused simple syrup to use. It’s also great with your morning coffee! Get my recipe here. Here’s how to make my refreshing cucumber collins cocktail!
Cucumber Collins Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin (can use vodka too)
- Cucumber slices
- Lime slices
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Few sprigs of mint
- 1/2 oz simple syrup or 1-2 sugar cubes
- Soda water
- Ice
Directions
Before you begin, you’ll want to grab your collins glass. This is a classic cocktail glass and is just a tall thin glass. Or a high ball if you’ve ever heard that before. You can shop some here. Fill it with ice and then get started on your cocktail!
Step One
To your cocktail shaker, add a few cucumber slices, lime juice and a couple of mint leaves. Top with your simple syrup or sugar cubes. Muddle the ingredients together until everything is really broken up well. You don’t want big chunks of cucumber.
Step Two
Add the gin and ice to your shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Like really hard for a whole 30 seconds. This is important to get everything mixed and chill down the vodka.
Step Three
Take your collins glass (that’s just a high ball glass!) filled with ice and add a few slices or ribbons of cucumber. Then strain your cocktail into the glass. Top the cocktail with a good splash of club soda. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint, lime wedge, and cucumber wedge if you like!
To make the cucumber ribbons, just use a vegetable peeler to get long thing strips. They’re so pretty against the glass. Definitely not necessary to make the cocktail, but it really elevates the glass and is such a pretty garnish.
Let’s Talk Gin
I also want to quickly mention a few things about gin. It for some reason has such a bad reputation, almost worse than tequila. But it’s probably because you’ve been drinking terrible gin. It definitely has a unique flavor profile in that it’s more earthy and herby. Almost has a botanical flavor to it. When mixed properly in a great cocktail, it actually makes the cocktail taste better. And today’s cucumber Collins is a perfect example.
I personally almost always use Hendricks gin for any of my cocktails. But especially if it has cucumber. Hendrick’s botanical flavor profile includes cucumber, os it pairs perfectly. For a more affordable gin option, I also like Bombay Sapphire or Tanquerey. Both are pretty good and are a decent price point.
