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The 9 Best Cucumber Cocktails You Should Make

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cucumber cocktail sitting next to lime and spoon.
Photo by Anna Teodoro on Unsplash

Cucumber’s cool factor makes it a dynamic cocktail ingredient. Whether incorporated to chill the pop of fellow ingredients or add some refreshing green notes to a drink, cucumbers ought to be readily available at your home bar.

Bartenders tend to cut cucumber up in three different ways — wheels, ribbons, and spears. The first is basically a disc sliced about 1/4-inch thick. The second is a bit more involved, made using a vegetable peeler to first remove a strip of peel, then some cucumber. You can fold it back and forth some before skewering it on a pick of some kind. A spear is essentially a pickle, usually cut in a 6-inch length. And that’s just the garnish talk.

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We like to muddle with cucumbers, use cucumber juice, and even play around with other varieties, like Japanese cucumber. Its grassy flavor is an ideal match for many spirits, as well as a variety of fresh juices, fruits, herbs, and even cucumber beers. Go green, or greener, with these cucumber-tastic cocktails (including one mocktail).

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Kikori Bonsai

Kikori Bonsai cucumber vodka.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces

    Kikori Whiskey

  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • .75 ounces simple syrup
  • 3 shiso leaves
  • 3 slices Japanese cucumber

Method:

Muddle cucumbers and shiso in a shaker, then add all liquid ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a shiso leaf.

Cucumber Watermelon Margarita

Cucumber Watermelon Margarita.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts

    Milagro Silver Tequila

  • 1 part fresh lime juice
  • .75 part agave nectar (or simple syrup)
  • 4 watermelon chunks
  • 2 slices cucumber

Method:

Muddle watermelon and cucumber in a Boston shaker, add remaining ingredients. Shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with Tajin and watermelon and cucumber spears.

Pimm’s Cup Italiano

Two glasses of Pimm's Cup Italiano Cocktail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • .5 ounces 

    Fernet-Branca 

  • 1 ounce Pimms No. 1 
  • Ginger ale 
  • Sliced cucumbers, lemon, mint, and strawberry 

Method:

Pour Fernet-Branca and Pimms No. 1 in a glass over crushed ice, top with ginger ale, and garnish with sliced cucumbers, lemon, mint, and strawberry.

Cucumber Quencher (Mocktail)

A tall glass of the mocktail Cucumber Quencher from Hotel Hugo.
Hotel Hugo

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces club soda
  • .75 ounces agave thyme syrup
  • .25 ounces cucumber juice
  • .25 ounces lemon juice
  • 6-8 mint sprigs
  • Oval cucumber slice for garnish
  • Thyme sprig for garnish

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake well, then double strain into a highball, and top it off with club soda. Garnish with an oval cucumber slice and a thyme sprig.

Solento Eastside

Two glasses of the Solento Eastside Cocktail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces Solento Blanco Tequila
  • .75 ounces lime juice
  • .5 ounces agave syrup
  • 4 slices of cucumber
  • 4 mint leaves

Method:

Gently muddle mint and cucumber and agave syrup. Add tequila, lime juice, and ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass, and garnish with mint and cucumber.

Ketel One Green Mary

Ketel One Green Mary Cocktail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 1 ounce

    Ketel One Vodka

  • 3.5 ounces freshly juiced cucumber and celery (equal parts)
  • .5 ounces fresh lime juice
  • 1 pinch of salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried chili flakes

Method:

Add all ingredients to glass, stir well, and add ice. Garnish with a salted cucumber slice.

Milagro Miche

Milagro Miche Cocktail.
(Created by Jaime Salas) Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts

    Milagro Silver

  • 2 parts Bloody Mary mix or Clamato
  • 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 dashes hot sauce
  • 1 part lime juice
  • 2 parts cucumber juice
  • 1-4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 6 parts Mexican Lager

Method:

Build in a pint glass over ice; stir. Garnish with lime wheels and tajin rim.

Block Party

A glass of Block Party Cocktail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts

    Reyka Vodka

  • .5 part Dolin Blanc
  • 3 cucumber slices
  • .75 part lemon juice
  • .5 part simple syrup
  • 1 part watermelon juice

Method:

Muddle cucumber slices in the bottom of a shaker. Add remaining ingredients and ice. Shake and fine-strain into a highball glass with ice. Add 1 part sparkling wine (rosé is nice). Garnish with a cucumber slice wrapped in the glass.

EFFEN Pepino

A bottle of EFFEN Cucumber Vodka with three glasses of EFFEN Cucumber Pepino Cocktail.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 1 parts

    EFFEN Cucumber Vodka

  • 1 splash of lime juice
  • 2 parts lemon lime soda
  • Tajin Clasico seasoning

Method:

Rim a glass with Tajin seasoning. Build over fresh ice; garnish with a cucumber wheel.

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Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
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