Cucumber-Lavender Gin Fizz

As we soak up these final warm summer days, I can’t get enough fun cocktails. Well, in all fairness, I can’t get enough fun cocktails all year long, but there’s something extra special about enjoying a good cocktail on the patio. I live for patio nights, and this cucumber-lavender gin fizz is perfect for the occasion.

With the earthy yet melon-like flavor of the cucumber and the floral notes of the lavender, I love the way these two meld together. Throw in some gin with its herbal characteristics and you have the makings for a delicious cocktail.

Along with those lovely flavors, this gin fizz includes an important ingredient: an egg white. In a traditional Ramos gin fizz, an egg white always starred as the distinguishing ingredient in a gin fizz. Some recipes, however, skip the egg white, but you can’t get that signature frothy head and silky texture without using an egg white.

If you’re squeamish about using a raw egg white, you can always leave it out. While the drink won’t technically be a gin fizz, you’ll still have a tasty cocktail on your hands. Ultimately, it’s up to your comfort level, but I figure I’ve been known to eat my share of raw cookie dough and cake batter and enjoy plenty of gin fizzes without consequence. Living on the edge as they say.

Step-by-Step Instructions

And now to start shaking. For the lavender flavor, this gin fizz recipe uses an infused simple syrup. Simply bring sugar, water and dried lavender to a high simmer until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat, let the mixture sit for at least half an hour if possible and strain.

I suggest taking care of this step ahead of time to give the lavender plenty of time to steep and the syrup a chance to cool. That said, I’ve made lavender simple syrup about 15 minutes before cocktail time and still had good results.

To get that refreshing cucumber flavor, we extract the juice. If you have one of those fancy juicers, you’re welcome to use that. However, I’m a mere juicer peasant and use my trusty blender. Peel the cucumber, roughly slice it and throw it into the blender with a splash of water. Blend and pour into a cheese cloth- or paper towel-lined sieve with a bowl underneath. Everything that drips into the bowl is your cucumber juice.

You can also take care of this step ahead of time. In fact, I like to freeze cucumber juice, so I always have a supply for cucumber cocktails ready to go.

Now let’s toss the lavender simple syrup and cucumber juice into a cocktail shaker along with the egg white, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and gin and shake for 30 seconds. After this first dry shake, which helps ensure a frothy topping, we add ice and shake again.

For this second shake, we keep at it until we no longer hear the ice clink against the cocktail shaker. This should take about two minutes. Honestly, it’s almost therapeutic and a great way to release any life frustrations so don’t hold back.

Pour into a tall, skinny glass and top with club soda. Sip away and embrace these final days of summer.

Perfect Pairing

With that frothy, silky texture of this cucumber-lavender gin fizz, I like to stick to something light, such as a smoked salmon-goat cheese crostini. Both salmon and goat cheese work well with the herbal notes, and the lemon juice counters the fat with its acidity. Or you could try my smoked salmon, avocado and pesto pizza, which also pairs nicely with this cocktail.

If you plan to serve this gin fizz with dessert, a classic lemon meringue pie is perfect. The pie's citrusy canvas complements every element in this cocktail, and the texture is just right.

When your next cocktail craving hits, I hope you whip up this cucumber-lavender gin fizz. Please leave me a comment to let me know how you enjoyed it, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.

Cheers!

Looking for More Gin Cocktails?

• Blood orange-rosemary gin and tonic
• Garden gin and tonic
• Blood orange gin fizz
• Grapefruit gin mule
• Strawberry-rhubarb gin fizz

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