Cucumber Yum Yum Cocktail – First Look, Then Cook

I have yet another obsession to confess…cocktails made with cucumber. I am not sure what it is about them that make me go nuts, but they do. If I see one on a menu, I can’t resist. More often than not, they are not sweet, but just extremely fresh and clean tasting. I especially love a good cucumber drink made with Hendrick’s Gin – which is also made with cucumber.

We had some friends over for a drink the other night before going to dinner, and I decided I wanted to have one “special” cocktail. I went to epicurious and searched on cucumber and cocktail – and this is what came up – published in Bon Appetit. The title sold me right away. Yum Yum did the trick – and boy was the title correct. I did adapt it slightly below – it was a little too sweet for me at first – but once I cut down on the honey, it was perfect. It was slightly sweet, had a slight citrus flavor – and it sang of spring. Just putting it up to my nose, I knew it would be the perfect cocktail. Go ahead, it is time to toast spring – if not for the weather, at least for this terrific cocktail.

Ingredients

12 1/8-inch-thick slices English hothouse cucumber, divided
10 fresh raspberries, divided
1/4 cup gin
1 tablespoon acacia honey
2 tablespoons (scant) aquavit*
2 tablespoons (scant) fresh lime juice
Crushed ice

Preparation

Using muddler or handle of wooden spoon, mash 10 cucumber slices and 8 raspberries in cocktail shaker. Add gin, honey, aquavit, and lime juice. Shake vigorously 20 times. Fill 2 old-fashioned glasses with crushed ice. Strain cucumber mixture into glasses, dividing equally. Garnish each drink with 1 cucumber slice and serve.