Something more exciting
On Saturday, in an effort to combat Book Brain and feel less boring, I decided that we should have a dinner party. So I called our friends John and Olaiya, who kindly acquiesced, and we threw together a menu. John and Olaiya brought olives and beer, and Brandon and I made this old salad, which never really gets old, and this old pasta, which also never gets old, and I baked the chocolate bundt cake from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, which got old very quickly, because it wasn’t that great. But the best part, aside from distracting myself for a few hours with some of my favorite people, was the aforementioned cocktail shaker and the cocktail it contained.
I am not ordinarily much of a mixed-drinks person. I am mainly a wine, beer, and occasional gin-and-tonic kind of girl. But I have found my Summer Drink of 2008, and it is called a Gordon’s Cup. It starts with lime and cucumber, which are muddled together into a pale green pulpy mess that smells like Mexico and the beach and a hammock in the shade, and then you add gin, a smidge of simple syrup, and some ice, and you shake the whole thing until it’s nice and cold. And then, blessed be, you get to drink it. I found the recipe a couple of months ago, in the April issue of Bon Appétit, but until this past weekend, the weather didn’t feel quite warm enough to warrant bringing the gin out of the cabinet. However, now that it has come out, I don’t think it is ever going back in, because I need more Gordon’s Cups. But only after my revisions are done. Because I am boring.
Gordon’s Cup
Adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2008
We used Tanqueray gin for this drink – it’s our usual brand – but Plymouth would also be very nice. We served it in wide-mouth champagne glasses, but you could also use a rocks glass, which is what the original recipe recommends. Oh, and before you start, note that the quantities listed below make only one serving. You can scale them up easily, though.
To make the simple syrup called for below, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan, and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat, and boil for 1 minute. Cool the syrup to room temperature; then store it in the fridge indefinitely. (Or, if you cannot be bothered to make simple syrup, you can use superfine sugar to taste.)
2/3 of a small lime, cut into 6 wedges
2 (½-inch-thick) rounds of peeled cucumber
¼ cup gin
1 to 1 ½ Tbsp. simple syrup
Ice
Pinch of sea salt
Place the lime and the cucumber in a cocktail shaker, and mash them with a muddler or wooden spoon until the lime is juiced and the cucumber is pulpy. Add the gin, 1 Tbsp. simple syrup, and 1 cup ice. Cover, and shake vigorously three times. (At this point, I recommend tasting a little bit: you might want a splash more gin, or a bit more simple syrup.) Pour the contents of the shaker into a glass – with or without some ice, as you see fit. Sprinkle with salt.
Note: To garnish this, you could use a wedge of lime or a thin sliver of cucumber. Brandon, however, wants to try a sprig of mint or cilantro next time.
Yield: 1 serving
41 Comments:
I made this over the weekend using Hendricks gin - I'm sure it was delicious with Tanqueray, but with Hendricks, believe me, it's divine. It's more of an herby gin, with a slight bit of citrus. It's known as the gin you should garnish with cucumber, instead of lime.
You can also muddle fresh mint in the mix, and let it all steep in teh gin for a while. Then, strain and top with seltzer.
Yummy! That sounds so refreshing! Have you tried a Pimm's Cup? It sounds similar to this, my mom ordered one on Mother's Day at Rouxan, an amazing Cajun restaurant here in Portland - you must try on your next trip! Skip the Julep and go for a Pimm's Cup, it's slightly herbal, fruity and simply delicious!
Congrats on the book, I can't wait to buy it!
anonymous the first needs to get out of my head! i was thinking hendricks as soon as i saw the cocktail had cucumber in it.
i bet it is divine.
I've been visiting your blog for a while and I love your way of writing, the recipes, and now I realized that we have the same drinking habits. Gin and tonic is about as adventurous as it gets... I'll definitely try this combination. It sounds delicious and refreshing.
Mmmmmmm...
I love gin, and I'm always looking for a good gin cocktail!
Hi Molly,
I just wanted to tell you how much I've loved your column in Bon Appetit! So far, I've made every recipe you've published and I can't get enough!! I look forward to reading what you'll come up with next!
Thanks for the recipes :-)
Wow, that cocktail sounds fantastic! I'm a big fan of the gin and will make this very soon indeed.
With the warmer weather here I'm ready to replace my gin dirty martini with a refreshing cocktail. Thank for the inspiration and best of luck on your book.
Cheers.
it just so happens that i made some simple syrup last weekend... and i have cucumber. hmmm, sounds like i need to pick up some gin.
revisions!!?? not boring! well, maybe a bit.
i read about this site in bon apetite - i'm sorry, its boring.
Molly, I love that you love gin!! Cucumber and gin - it sounds so refreshing! Thanks for the writing. I love to read what you have cooking next!
I've been looking for a new summertime drink. Guess I'll be picking up some gin this weekend.
Best of luck with those revisions. You can do it and make it great, I'm certain of that. Just- I'm sure you know this and keep it in mind, anyway, but just try to take breaks and get your mind off it sometimes. Perhaps this is a good excuse to go get a massage. :)
You're a crackup! And I'm quite certain you're not boring. I will definitely have to try these cocktails when the weather heats up. I think the cucumber cocktail thing is going to be big when it's 100 degrees outside. I also made that cake btw - and I loved the sound of it, but thought it wasn't as good as it should have been. I made a couple of modifications though, so I thought it might be my fault. I did candy some kumquats and glaze it with syrup, which helped!
I'm loving your tag posts on flickr, but when are you going to start Twittering??? ;-)
Mmmmmm - that sounds really good and really refreshing, must try. I have tanqueray, I have cucumber, I'm halfway there already but it is 10am and I'm at work so not just yet!
My own house gin is Plymouth, the gin of Winston Churchill. Someone once told me I shouldn't, but I keep it in the freezer. I use it to make 'tinis, gibsons, gimlets, and even bloody marys. But, as your first commenter mentioned, my first thought when reading this recipe was it would probably be good with Hendricks. However, I may never know because my Plymouth and I shall not be parted. I'm trying this tonight! Good luck with the book.
Molly, I doubt you are boring... maybe focused, obsessed, driven about your book, but not boring. When someone takes photos like that, they are not boring. That is just beautiful. I can't wait for your book. It is in my shopping bag at Amazon and it says estimated shipping date April 2009. That's far away...
YUM! Always looking for a good new drink and I'm so a gin person, this is totally up my ally. I'm going to have to try this soon. Thanks!
my drinking habits are the same as yours, beer, occassionally wine, and definitely gin and tonics. but i recently burnt myself out on beer on my two week honduras vacation. now i am so excited to have something new to add to my repetoire! thanks for the recipe!
One track mind can be so exhausting. I hope you are able to relax a bit this week. And, I am not normally a gin drinker, but this has me intriqued...I think I know what our vacation drink is going to be next week!
Just wanted to tell you that I LOVED your jam article in Bon Appetite, and I can't wait to try out the recipe. I've got my mind on strawberry-basil jam, so I may see if subbing strawberries for the berries you recommended works ok. Not sure if I need to tweak the sugar or not, but...anyway, I'm excited!
It's interesting to me how the comments section of Orangette is subtly changing as your star continues to rise, Molly. For example, today we have an Anonymous who declares Orangette "boring." I beg to differ! I actually think Orangette is about ten times better than your Bon Appetit columns. There's something about the blog, the freedom from editorial restrictions and page limits as well as the links to cool recipes, photos, and people, that makes the blog so much more ALIVE to me. I really feel like your blog showcases the best of your writing. Three cheers for Orangette!
I saw this recipe - so glad I got a realtime review before trying it.I love summer drinks!
Do you have any recipes using dry white wine??
P.S. I'm boring too. :(
Next to the mint julep this is my favorite drink! I'm so glad you've discovered it. Isn't it like summer in a glass? It's brilliant. And Molly... you are of all things... not boring. At least not to us :)
It's not like you're hearing crickets here in your comment section now are you?
Mmmhhh mmmhhhh, gin is one of my favourite liquors and this sounds just wonderful and refreshing. Will have to give it a go. My favourite gin is Bombay Saphire.
This sounds wonderful. I'd love to try it with Hendrick's. I'll add to my summer drink list, which now consists of 2 drinks: Campari and soda and this.
Being married to another chef we argue about pantry items all the time. Our last pantry focused tiff was about using fleur de sel inappropriately.
As for book brain, I can relate to that problem, too. Manuscripts are like children, they cause you a lot of anxiety and they never turn out exactly like you imagined the would.
Good luck, enjoy cocktail hour and remember that life has a life of it's own and always works itself out.
Ooh! I will try a Gordon's Cup - I am currently obsessed with refreshing citrusy beverages that aren't too sweet. And I am always searching for the perfect one when out for a drink but they come close but no cigar for one reason or another. The Orbit Room on Market St. in SF (for any Bay Area people, or when you visit, Molly) is a great place to get a freshly muddled cocktail. They have an awesome drink with fresh cilantro muddled with ginger, lime and tequila. Light and great. I also had a great drink with campari and whisky (don't be scared- I know lotsa people hate Campari!), fresh grapefruit and bergamot syrup. It wasn't bitter at all.
This is my kind of beverage! Love cucumber martinis.... and love lime. yumm. Good luck with the book writing!
I am not a gin lover... so I made it with vodka, and it is soooo good. And for my friend who is not a gin or vodka lover I made it with some yummi portorican rum. Still delicious.
We have been crazy for this drink, since we first saw it in Bon Apetit. We have fixed it with Tanqueray & with Aviator Gin. Both are lovely. And, since we have a lemon tree, we often drink this with lemon, instead of lime. Different, but equally delicious.
Great site. I especially love your photography. You have a real talent.
-- Jean
i like your picture of the top of the wine bottle and the limes! it took me a while to figure out what is was,...it looked like a really large olive! ;)
hendricks is our favorite too. we used to drink tanqueray, but the last time we bought gin had to spring for the hendricks. i'm excited to try that cocktail, it sounds amazing!
and thank you for the braised onion recipe, we made it last week (with gluten free pasta for the gf hubby)and it was delicious!
i've always thought i didn't like gin, but this sounds gooood. maybe i've just been drinking shitting gin, which is entirely possible.
It's no wonder you like this drink if you're an occasional gin and tonic kind of girl. I am too, and Tanqueray is my favorite brand of gin too! The lime cucumber mixture sounds a-ma-zing.
That sounds positively delicious. I have been looking for a new spin to my g&t. Thanks!
i am usually a vodka/tonic kind of girl, but this may sway me.
ps...i love your blog.
You have a wonderful blog! I am a big fan!
I have some simple syrup in the fridge and will grab some gin and give this a try tonight! thanks. It may have to replace my favorite summer drink: campari and soda. I wonder if you're a fan? thanks for the jam recipe in current b.app. I will try it as soon as I get to pick fresh blackberries this summer...
nice blog you have!....keep up good work...
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