May 21st - Cucumber Gimlet

GOOD OLE GIN

I fell in love with gin back when I was 21.  It was a wonderful summer.  My cousin, who lives in California, offered me a chance to stay with her and her husband for a month out there.  I jumped at the opportunity.  To make a really long story somewhat not as long, I spent my days lying out by the pool and sipping dirty gin martini's.  Yeah it was only 10 a.m., but I was in California.  The weather was beautiful all the time and I didn't have a care in the world.  I somehow managed to get a month off from work (thinking back now that was really generous of my work) and relished every minute (except for the times when I got really drunk at night and ended up puking for a good hour or two).   Come to think of it, that happened almost every weekend.  Ugh the aftertaste of the dirty martinis in the morning with that strong sunshine blaring into the room.  And the headaches....wait, where was I going with this?

So it was my cousin who introduced me to gin.  Seagrams I believe.  Now I've developed a somewhat more sophisticated palate and prefer Bombay Sapphire.  I don't drink it dirty anymore.  Basically straight up with olives.  The drinking at 10 a.m. days are gone and I only touch the stuff once in a great while.  But, it was fun to visit with gin again today.  We reminisced on old times and had a good laugh about the crazy old days.  Man, it's tough getting old.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients
Cucumbers: $1.55
Gin: $21.99 (I ran out and had to buy more)
Limes: had
Sugar: had

TOTAL: $23.54

THE RESULTS

FAST:  Not as quick as you think.  Making the "cucumber water" took a good 20 minutes.  Straining it was the hardest part (partially because I didn't have a fine mesh strainer.  SHOCK AND HORROR?  Chef Mark doesn't have a fine mesh strainer?  Yes, the truth is now out.  There are a few kitchen gadgets I don't have.  A fine mesh strainer being one of them).   Anywayw, once the cucumber stuff is done, the rest is really easy.

EASY: Again, I have to go back to the making of the "cucumber water" and harp on it.  It was kind of putsy.  And the "strainer" I used was a pain in the butt.  Not to sound redundant but once that's done, the rest is really easy.

FRESH: For as much work as the "cucumber water" is, it really freshens up the drink and is worth the effort.  That with the combination of the lime juice make this the perfect hot day drink.

OVERALL:  You know I like my gin and would you be really suprised if I didn't like this recipe?  Well, I actually like it a lot!  I will definitely have to find a real fine mesh strainer to use next time (to make things go quicker and easier).  I'm also tempted to maybe add a little fresh mint.   Hmm...

Well, the rain has cleared up and the sun is out.  It's actually quite beautiful outside now.  I'm going to head outside with this martini, towel off the patio chairs, and try to recapture maybe 30 minutes of a simpler time when I was 21.  I'll see you this weekend for dessert!