Cucumber Mint Gimlet

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Serve the ultimate country-club libation: gimlets. Swap out vodka and Rose's lime juice for cucumber gin, fresh lime, and simple syrup tinged with mint, and then serve with tea sandwiches. Polka dot napkins in a shade that matches the drink pack a coordinating graphic punch. "Pearls" paper napkin, $5 for 20, casparionline.com.

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ cups Cucumber Gin (or 2 oz.), how-to follows

  • 2 ¼ cups fresh lime juice (or 1 oz.)

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Mint Simple Syrup (or ½ oz.), how-to follows

  • Cucumber peels, for garnish

  • Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Cucumber Gin

  • Steep 2 1/2 cups diced, peeled cucumber in 4 1/2 cups gin, covered and chilled, 8 hours to 4 days (or 1/2 cup cucumber in 1 cup gin). Strain; store indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Mint Simple Syrup

  • Heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring until dissolved. Add 1 cup mint leaves; remove from heat. Cover; steep 30 minutes to 1 hour. Strain; discard mint. Refrigerate up to 2 months.

Directions

  1. In a 2-quart pitcher, stir gin, lime juice,and syrup. Refrigerate. To serve, pourinto a cocktail shaker filled with ice,shake vigorously, and divide amongice-filled 10-ounce glasses. (For a singledrink, mix in a cocktailshaker filledwith ice, and shake.) Garnish each withcucumber peel and mint.

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