This Cucumber Martini with Elderflower Liqueur cocktail just appeals to me with a farm-to-table freshness that balances elegance with rustic appeal. With pureed cucumber coupled with cucumber-infused vodka splashed with elderflower liqueur and freshly squeezed lime, what’s not to like? Floating a garnish of three thinly sliced cucumbers just seals the deal.
Fragrant and refreshing, this is the perfect cocktail for summer. (All photos credit: George Graham)
I love watching my wife Roxanne peruse a cocktail menu with the same cat-like eye for detail I’ve seen in a shoe store as she channels her inner Carrie Bradshaw. She devours every word—every ingredient—as if she is studying for an exam. Her preferences adhere to a set of rigid guidelines: not too strong, not too sweet, and always refreshing. Furthermore, her decision-making process is predicated on mood coupled with her spirit of adventure. While always predictable with regard to ordering food off the menu, she has been known to deviate from time to time when it comes to spirits. Call it the spirit of experimentation in a cocktail glass.
Me, I’m simple. Barrel-aged bourbon is my usual glass of choice. Oh, I’ve been known to down a top-shelf tequila, an eye-opener Bloody Mary, or an Old Fashioned as the occasion might dictate, but for the most part, I’m straightforward and basic. No cocktail menu for me. I’ll leave the frou-frou, mojo-rita-tinis to my wife. But, with my wife’s nudging to take a taste, I recently discovered a before-dinner drink that got my juices flowing. It was the Cucumber Martini at Fig and Olive on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, California–a perfectly executed cocktail featuring fresh farm-raised cucumbers.
Just a few tasty ingredients go into this simple cocktail.
Infused vodkas are all the rage these days, and it didn’t take much looking to find a good one that has a fruit-forward finish that would be just as good straight over ice as an aperitif. The St. Germain took a little more searching. St. Germain is made by the Bacardi brand and is bottled in Europe where it is made from the elderflower, a white, starry flower similar to honeysuckle. According to the company, it is “still produced in an artisanal manner where the liqueur is made from flowers that are gathered from the hillsides in the French Alps during a short four-to-six-week period in spring. The picked flowers are bicycled to a collection depot (yep, bicycled) where they are immediately macerated to preserve the fresh flavors of the bloom.” Not sure I’m buying the bicycle line (sounds like colorful ad copy to me), but there’s no denying the fragrance in the bottle.
Cool as a cucumber!
In the heat-haze of our Southern summer evenings, give this cool drink a try. If straight-up martini style is not your thing, then serve this drink over ice in a highball glass; either way, I can’t think of a more perfect cocktail.
- 2 large ripe cucumbers
- 4 ounces elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 jiggers (1 ½ ounces) cucumber-flavored vodka
- With a thin-blade knife (or kitchen mandoline), cut 12 thin round slices of cucumber (with the peel). Cover and refrigerate
- Peel the remaining cucumber and cut into chunks. In the container of a blender, add the cucumber, elderflower liqueur, and lime juice, and blend on high until completely puréed.
- For each drink, add ice to a cocktail shaker along with a jigger of vodka. Add 2 jiggers of the cucumber purée, and shake vigorously. Strain the contents into a chilled martini glass and garnish with 3 cucumber slices. Serve immediately. Repeat for additional cocktails.
Here’s to a cool cocktail.
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Delicious
I drink this all the time; it’s my new drink. I also muddle & add fresh basil to this drink and top with a few fresh blueberries and blackberries. I call it the Basil Cucumber Smash. I drink it both ways straight up or on the rocks. I do add a splash of club soda, too. Refreshing summer drink!
Hey Donna- Love the combination. Cheers!
I just tried this recipe last night. It is exactly as you described, refreshing! I used cucumber vodka and perhaps added too much lime juice. It was still good; the purée really makes it special. Typically when I want something crisp and refreshing I’ll order a Moscow Mule. This is now my new go-to cocktail!
Hey Jen-
Thanks for the review, and I am so glad you found your new cocktail. All the best.
i’m going to try this tonight! this sounds and looks amazing! i’m sure I will enjoy it on the patio
tonight!!
I can’t wait to try this. I have St Germain as a staple in my bar. I love it! I make a drink with St Germain and champagne. I recently purchase a cucumber and lime infused vodka which I will use to try out this new drink recipe!
Cheers!
Absolutely Amazing!
Hey Rae_ Thanks for the review.
How far ahead can you blend the mixture?
Hey Nicole-
If making for a party, just puree your cucumbers ahead and add the appropriate amount of liquor, but do not add the ice for risk of diluting the mixture as the ice melts. Then, use the cocktail shaker and ice to prepare each martini or just serve over ice in a highball glass, if you like. Cheers!
Excellent drink! Was so happy to find this cocktail recipe as a few years ago (3) my daughter and I spent Thanksgiving in Charleston. We had a wonderful time enjoying the the town. One evening we went to a fun bar around the corner from our hotel because they had a live band! Well on the menu was a cucumber cooler. I thought great let me try this. It was so yummy and I looked everywhere to replicate the drink and so this it it! Enjoying my cucumber cooler now in NC during a stay at home order due to corona virus. This drink made my day a pleasurable one! Cheers to good health.
Hey JoAnne – So glad you found the recipe, and like you, I’ve been having a quarentini (or two) most evenings. Stay healthy!
I’m late to the party, but I will be making THIS drink my signature “Quarantini” for my sister’s bday soirée in a few weeks! They won’t know what hit them!! Sshh…our secret!!
Hey Kay – Your sister is sure to have the best birthday ever; she already has the best sister! All the best, and Happy Birthday to your lucky sister.
My first time at a bar since the pandemic, my daughter took me out fully vaccinated for my 60th birthday. She wanted me to try a martini called Effen Good made with Effen Cucumber Vodka. It was so delicious that the following week I Googled it and found you! It’s now my go-to cocktail. Yes, it’s yummy over ice. I tried it with simple syrup once, but not the same without the St. Germain. Thank you, thank you!
Susan- You’re welcome, you’re welcome! Lucky you, to have a daughter with such adventurous taste. So glad you like it, and all the best to you.
I will be trying it this weekend with a dear friend. Combining it with a Tinga Chicken dinner.
So refreshingly delicious
I found your recipe a couple years ago early in the pandemic, and I swear it saved me! Lol. Its light, refreshing, and fun. I haven’t had it in over a year and am thrilled to have found the recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing; I’ve told multiple friends about this drink and all have loved it, too!
Becca- The call of “Tini Time” was heard often around my house during the lockdown…so much so that we began calling those times a “quarantini”. All the best to you and thanks for the kind comment.