Cucumber and Mint Gin and Tonic

I think I am officially an adult. These past few weeks have been filled with all sorts of adult conversations and decisions. Not to mention we went to see a concert recently and I felt like the oldest person there and everyone kept on spilling beer on me. Younger Amanda would have been able to navigate that a little bit better.

But you know what signals the sign of adulthood that I am totally ok with? My love of gin and tonics. Yep. I have a serious addiction to good gin and tonics. I promise you no 21-year-old is pinning over a gin and tonic. But I am, and that is ok because it took me over a decade of legal drinking years to discover how amazing a good gin and tonic can be. You know what the secret it, the tonic. Don't you dare give me any of that Schweppes Tonic. Barf -that is what gives g & t's a bad rap! A good well-balanced not too bitter tonic is the secret to the perfect g & t.

This sounds silly but I only just discovered that there were good and bad tonic waters. I drank my first real g & t at Coquetta a bar in SF and after that, everything changed. They used Fevertree tonic and it is a total game changer. Slightly bitter and totally refreshing it makes for a perfect g & t. There are also other brands of tonics or you can make your own with quinine syrup that you mix with club soda.

Another trend in the g & t world is adding all sorts of flora and fauna to your drink. At Coquetta there was literally an orchid just hanging out in my cocktails. I recently had one at a restaurant here in Oakland where a hibiscus flower basically bloomed...in my cocktail glass. Total craziness.

Here is my take on a little flora and fauna in my gin and tonic. The cucumber and the mint are the perfect combo to add a refreshing flavor to this gin and tonic. This is my go to cocktail on the weekends. Is it 5 o'clock yet?

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 slices cucumber
Large pinch of fresh mint leaves
2 oz of your favorite gin (I like my gin dry and with lots of botanical flavors)
1 - 7oz bottle tonic water (I like Fevertree's Naturally Light brand)

Method:

Add cucumber slices and mint to a clean tall glass. Top with ice then pour in gin and finish with tonic water. This makes 1 cocktail, repeat ingredients and steps for additional cocktails.

Cucumber and Mint Gin and Tonic