The Gift Shop (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Cucumber seems to be a common ingredient in summer drinks at Death & Co. And that makes a lot of sense. Cucumber has a way of brightening and lending body to juicy drinks that may otherwise require more sweetener and fall flat or heavy on the palate. 

What surprises me is cucumber used in a Cardamaro and Tiki-style cocktail with Angostura bitters and light rum. Needless to say that all of this is possible due to the exacting proportions of the recipe. Death & Co.'s recommendation with all muddling is also helpful. Never overmuddle; you can easily bruise the ingredients and cause them to go bitter or jammy in the mouth. I've learned so much from their cocktail book--I bet I've covered half of the cocktails in the book at this point. 

• 3 cucumber wheels
• 2 oz. white rum (Mt. Defiance used)
• 1/2 oz. Cardamaro
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 3 cucumber wheels garnish

Muddle 3 cucumber wheels in the shaker tin before adding the remaining ingredients and ice. Shake and double strain into an Old Fashioned glass with a large-format ice cube. Fan the cucumber slices as garnishes.

Slap 'N' Pickle (Death & Co. Recipe)

Okay, this is the innovative akvavit cocktail from Death & Co. that I've been looking for. It's the first time that I've seen akvavit used with cucumber garnishes and muddled cucumber. Despite the name, there is nothing pickled in this cocktail: these are fresh cucumbers. It is the pickling seeds like fennel, coriander, and anise in the akvavit, and the celery bitters that give this drink its pickled character.

I had already prepared a few of the staple ingredients for this recipe. The first is my homemade akvavit with MurLarkey Justice white whiskey. And I have to say, once you learn to make your own akvavit, it is cheaper and better than the main brands, whatever may be available to you. And mostly you won't find much selection. I also found that making your own celery bitters is very easy and doesn't require gentian root. Just get a tsp. of celery seeds and some bits of chopped celery leaves and stalk and steep them in 100-proof vodka. The longer you steep them, the more bitter they get!

It feels like ten years ago that muddling cucumbers into a shaker was going out of style, but this drink's gimic, if you can call it that, is to put a cucumber spear in the glass to make it look like a pickle. I know why this is done; however, and it isn't for flavor. People at the bar will be wondering and asking about it, so the drink advertises itself.

• 3 cucumber wheels
• 2 oz. akvavit (homemade used)
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• 2 dashes celery bitters (homemade used)
• 1 cucumber spear garnish

Muddle 3 cucumber wheels in the shaker tin and add the remaining ingredients except for the garnish cucumber. Shake and double strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with the cucumber spear. 

 

Sloe Tequila

There are a few things that are strange about this cocktail. One is that there's sloe gin in it. Another is that there's tequila and sloe gin used together. Then, it is a slushy blended cocktail. Finally, cucumbers?

What I liked about the drink though was how well sloe gin and tequila have a bite to them. It is fruity and herbal. And somehow cucumber slices soak their mellowing and vegetable flavor into the slush to make for an interesting scent and a chilly slurp. And hey, it is a tequila drink that's not a Margarita spin off. Made this one just to prove that it can be done.

• 2 oz. white tequila
• 1 oz. sloe gin
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• cucumber slice

Combine tequila, sloe gin and lime juice in a blender with cracked ice. Blend on low until slushy and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with cucumber slice.