Garden gimlet: The cocktail that converts nuns to gin

Written By Carol Emert

The cucumberiness of Hendrick’s has a special alchemy with the fresh cuc.

For anyone who was raised Protestant (hello!), you should know that there are religious Americans who like to drink and they are called Catholics. Water into wine, remember – Christians haven't always been uptight about drinking. 

In any event, a Catholic friend of mine served a garden gimlet to her nun buddy one warm day in San Francisco. I don’t know if there was a flash of light or burning bush or anything, but the sister fell in love with hard liquor for the first time and left excited to share this tasty treat with her community. 

The garden gimlet is my #1 favorite cocktail and is in high demand with my friends. Once I spilled quite a puddle of it on the table when my friend Leah was visiting, and she asked for a straw so she could suck up every drop. Which she did. That’s how you know a cocktail is next level. 

Tips

  1. The gin: Use Hendrick’s if possible because its cucumberiness has a special alchemy with the fresh cuc. Otherwise, any good London-style gin is fine. Avoid very piney, salty, or otherwise savory gins.

  2. The sugar: You can use simple syrup, but to my palette, uncooked sugar has more purity of flavor. ONLY use superfine aka baker’s sugar. Granulated sugar won’t dissolve and powdered sugar contains corn starch. You can make superfine sugar by simply grinding white granulated sugar in a food processor for about four minutes.

  3. The cucumber: peel it if the peeling is at all bitter.

  4. A muddler: won’t suffice for a large batch, so use a blender. Even for a single batch, I am not above using an immersion blender.

  5. When muddling: stack cucumber on bottom, basil leaves next, and sugar on top. The sugar will help shred the basil leaves and that will all muddle into the cucumber.

Recipe (one serving)


Ingredients

2 oz good gin

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 T superfine sugar or 1:1 simple syrup

3 medium basil leaves and a fourth pretty one for garnish

About a 1-inch chunk of cucumber (1.5ish ounces), sliced 

Technique

  1. In a metal cocktail shaker, add cucumber, basil leaves, sugar, and lime juice. Muddle with a sturdy muddler until it’s all good and smashed, or pulse with an immersion blender

  2. Add gin

  3. Shake vigorously to blend the ingredients together and dissolve the sugar

  4. Strain out the solids with a fine mesh sieve; smoosh the liquid out using the back of a spoon

  5. Return drink to the cocktail shaker ⅔ filled with ice and shake for 30 seconds

  6. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass

  7. Slap a pretty basil leaf to release the aromas and float on top

Carol Emert