The Strawberry Cucumber Gimlet is *chef's kiss* a near-perfect warm weather cocktail, if I do say so myself. Cucumber vodka is crisp and cool while the strawberry simple syrup lends sweetness and beautiful color. Garnish it all with a bit of fresh mint and a wheel of cucumber to really pull it all together.
Looking for more gimlet recipes? Try my French Gimlet or Basil Vodka Gimlet on for size.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's gorgeous. I mean, just look at that pretty pink color!
It tastes fabulous. Strawberry and Cucumber are one supremely refreshing flavor combination.
It's easy to make. If you can shake a few ingredients in a cocktail shaker, then you can absolutely make this drink.
💭 What is a Strawberry Cucumber Gimlet?
A classic Gimlet cocktail is made up of gin and lime cordial (i.e., sweetened lime juice). It can also be made with lime juice and simple syrup, instead of the cordial.
This gimlet, however, is made with vodka. And not just any vodka, either. It's made with cool and refreshing cucumber vodka. Oh, that and strawberry simple syrup. The lime juice is just lime juice.
📝 Ingredients
So many good summery flavors here!
- Cucumber vodka: I used Cucumber Vodka from Durham Distillery
- Strawberry simple syrup: I list detailed instructions on how to make this simple syrup variation in the recipe card. But basically, you'll need granulated sugar, water, and fresh strawberries.
- Lime juice: Just half a lime, juiced. Use the fresh stuff, please.
- Club soda: Just a bit, for a wee bit of fizz.
Not only do the cucumber and strawberry flavors play very well together, but the strawberry simple syrup makes the cocktail a very pretty pink color. I've made this drink several times and can tell you that it's very refreshing and perfect for warm evenings. Or days. Or whenever. Just enjoy.
👩🏻🍳 How do you make this cocktail?
Vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice get shaken up in a cocktail shaker with ice until very cold.
Next, you can either strain the drink into a rocks glass over ice or into a coupe glass, and serve it up, without ice. It's tasty either way! I just thought that the coupe glasses looked particularly pretty in the pictures.
Regardless of how you're serving this drink, top everything off with a bit of club soda and garnish with a cucumber wheel and maybe a sprig of fresh mint.
Just for fun... here's the history of the gimlet:
I got curious about the origins of the classic gimlet (lime juice, simple syrup, gin), and came across this little story on Liquor.com:
"The Gimlet’s origin isn’t clear, but it’s believed to have been invented out of necessity by British sailors in the late 18th century. Sailors, as the story goes, needed the citrus to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. The best way to get sailors to drink lime juice? Mix it with liquor, of course. It didn’t take long to realize that this preventative drink was also delicious. So, while scurvy may be a thing of the past, the Gimlet is here to stay."
So... drink a gimlet to avoid scurvy! This cocktail is basically mandatory. You know, for your health!
🔗 More Summery cocktails
In need of more cocktails for the Summer months? Just click on any of the photos below to be taken straight to the recipes.
❓ FAQs
You can add a few slices of fresh cucumber to the bottom of your cocktail shaker and give it a muddle before adding the liquid ingredients, shaking, and straining.
Sure, if you'd like. Just sub a different flavor of simple syrup for the strawberry syrup.
Yes. For instance, if you want to make two at a time, just double the amounts of ingredients, shake, and strain them into two glasses.
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✨ Recipe
Strawberry Cucumber Gimlet
Equipment
- Cocktail jigger
- Boston shaker
- Hawthorne strainer
- Coupe glasses
Ingredients
- 2 oz. cucumber vodka see notes
- ¾ oz Strawberry Simple Syrup
- ½ lime juiced
- club soda
- cucumber wheel and fresh mint for garnish
Instructions
- Add the vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake until very cold and strain into a rocks glass with ice (or into a cocktail coupe).
- Top with club soda and garnish with fresh mint.
Notes
- If you don't have cucumber vodka, you can use plain vodka instead, and muddle a couple of wheels of cucumber in the bottom of your cocktail shaker before adding the liquid and shaking and straining.
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Emily
I just made this and it is so refreshing. I did cheat and use a premade strawberry simple syrup but I know homemade will make my next batch even better. I also used the Ketel One Cucumber Mint Botanical and it is simply delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
laurenpacek
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!! And no shame in using a premade strawberry simple syrup. I've been meaning to check out the Ketel One Botanical line, so thanks for the reminder! Thanks so much for trying it out and reviewing!