Weekly Drink Me Recipe: Cucumber Rosemary Martini
We here at BAS Headquarters are always thinking of new awesome things to bring to you, our dear (and depraved) readers. So with this in mind we’ve teamed up with the fine folks over at Drink Me Magazine to bring you a new drink recipe every Thursday. That way you can make yourself a little special sumptin-sumptin to aid you in your weekend wickedness.
This week’s recipe, brought to you by the very esteemed Patrick Poelvoorde, is the Rhubarbary Coast. Take it away Patrick!
Cucumber Rosemary Martini $1.30/drink
While dodging cars the other day on Clarence Carter (my bike), I began wondering about timelines. As my eyes tracked from crackhead to businessman, I mused about the events that brought them to that particular point in life. Just as we learned from the seminal film Donnie Darko, we are all attached to a gelatinous stream of events that were, are and will come to be. If I could’ve gotten my bike to generate the 1.21 gigawatts needed to travel back in time, I could have seen all the circumstances that brought them there (deep, right?). Like people, cocktails have their inception, childhood, 15 minutes in the spotlight and then are either put out to pasture or die off altogether. Take the Tequila Sunrise, a ’70s staple that personified leisure, that is now never poured outside a college bar or into a yard-tall plastic cup on Vegas’ Old Strip. Or the spirit Genever (Holland Gin), once thought to be lost to ages, that has made a Lazarus-like revival in the mixed-drink community. The cocktail world is truly a fickle realm.
So for this week’s culinary libation, I thought we should start from the beginning. My entrance into this world of contemporary bracers was with a fairly simple concoction of classic flavors. I am utilizing local favorite Anchor Junipero Gin, a London Dry Gin with classic notes of citrus and juniper, and mixing it with rosemary-infused syrup and fresh cucumber puree. I like it and I think you’ll like it too, so let’s make some magic.
Cucumber Rosemary Martini
750 ml Anchor Junipero Gin $30
2 English cucumbers $2
1 bunch of rosemary $2
1 cup sugar $1
Rosemary Syrup Instructions
First boil 1 cup of water and add 1 cup sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and add all but 1 sprig of rosemary, and let steep for 15 minutes. Next, remove rosemary with a slotted spoon and allow syrup to cool.
Cucumber Puree Instructions
I prefer to peel the cucumbers and scoop the seeds to keep the color of the puree nice and translucent. Then chop the remaining product into 1-inch pieces and toss into a blender. Set to puree and add about ½ cup of water. Now, let’s bring back that handy mesh strainer and run the puree through to make it nice and smooth.
Cocktail Instructions
Step 1: Pour 2 oz. Junipero Gin into a cocktail shaker.
Step 2: Add 1 oz. of cucumber puree.
Step 3: Measure 3/4 oz. of rosemary syrup and toss it into the mix.
Step 4: Fill shaker ¾ way up with ice and stir gently for 30 seconds.
Step 5: Pour contents into a chilled martini glass and garnish with 3 leaves of rosemary'”one leaf each for health, wealth and happiness.