Cucumber-Infused Gin

Cucumber and gin are a great pairing, a refreshing, almost relaxing combination perfect for the warmer months.

Cucumber and gin are a great pairing, a refreshing, almost relaxing combination perfect for the warmer months. This recipe prepares a three-day infusion of gin and cucumber, suitable for use in a wide range of drinks.

Cucumber-Infused Gin

Cucumber and gin are such a great match that some distillers include cucumber in their juniper-based botanical flavoring. Hendrick’s Gin is the leading example. In Hendrick’s, the cucumber is a background note, and our intention is to make it a foreground. For this infusion, I recommend you start with Hendrick’s Gin, as we know its botanical flavorings are compatible with cucumber. Plymouth Gin, which boasts no bitters in its botanicals, is a suitable substitute.

It might seem a bit odd to infuse another flavor into gin, since gin is already flavored, but gin is not traditional made via infusion. Proper gin is prepared by distilling mash into a neutral grain spirit, which is then flavored with botanicals. Finally, the flavored spirit is redistilled. The resulting product, gin, is a pure spirit, with no additives, and only a mild hint of the original botanicals.

Our infusion is different. We aren’t redistilling. We aren’t looking for subtle background notes. We want to capture as much of cucumber’s essence as possible, yet cucumber is not rich in essential oils. So we macerate the cukes in gin for three days, until the gourd has given all it can give. We then squeeze out every ounce of liquid. The result is bright and refreshing.

For this recipe, I recommend you use garden cucumbers, also known as market cucumbers. They are the size of a large American pickle, squat and thick. Garden cucumbers have great flavor, but they aren’t seedless. You will need to skin and seed the cukes before infusing. European, also called english, cucumbers are longer and thinner and seedless. Their lack of seeds is appealing, but they aren’t as flavorful.

Makes 750 milliliters of cucumber-infused gin.

Ingredients:

one 750 milliliter bottle Hendrick’s Gin
3 garden cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Place the peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers in a large pitcher or other container with a lid. Add the bottle of gin. Stir. Set aside in a cool, dark place (the refrigerator if needed) for 3 days. Once per day, stir.

Infusing the Gin

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large liquid measuring cup. Strain the cucumber infusion through the strainer and into the measuring cup. Using a spoon or dowel, push as much liquid as possible out of the cucumber and through the strainer.

Place a cheesecloth-lined funnel in the original gin bottle. Pour the contents of the measuring cup through the cheesecloth and into the bottle. Will keep 6 months. Does not need refrigeration.