This March, we’re toasting all the leprechauns out there with a green drink that’s actually drinkable. Happy St Patrick’s Day! Our Cucumber Saketini is vibrant and as strong as you wish it to be: shake it with water for a delicious mocktail, with sake for a mild cocktail, or add gin for a one-and-done.
Show me some skin
The secret to making this cocktail vibrant green is to use a whole cucumber— skin and all. It’s the skin of a cucumber that holds the color, texture, and nutrients. When you purchase cucumbers for salads or cocktails, choose one with edible skin. American cucumbers widely available in grocery stores are often waxed-skin cucumbers. That skin is not edible, and those cucumbers should be peeled. English, Japanese, Persian cucumbers all have edible skin — it is thinner and easier to digest than the thick-skinned or waxed American cukes.
At Hipcooks, we like to say that there are 4 reasons for not peeling an edible-skinned cuke:
- Texture. Cucumber with its skin will hold its texture better in a salad and have more crunch.
- Color. The beautiful and vibrant green is in the skin.
- Nutrients. Follow the color, baby! It is the skin that holds all the good stuff. The inside is mostly water.
- Yay! You don’t have to peel it. Time saved.
Sock-it-to-me, Saketini!
This drink is yummy enough on its own to enjoy as a mocktail. Just substitute the sake with water, shake it up and enjoy. Otherwise, enjoy your Cucumber Saketini with sake alone, or amp it up with a shot of gin (or vodka).
Join us for Sushi Class
Shake up a Cucumber Saketini on St Paddy’s Day, and then shake up another for our Sushi Class on Saturday, March 19. We’ll see you there!
Ingredients
For the cucumber juice:
1 English cucumberFor the cocktail:
2 ½ ounces sake (or make it a mocktail and use water
1 ounce gin or vodka, if desired
juice of 1 lemon
1 ounce green cucumber juice (see recipe below)
garnish: 1 strip of cucumber, peeled with a veggie peelerInstructions
Make the cucumber juice:
First, peel a strip (or two) from the cucumber and use it to garnish the martini glass.Using a Microplane, grate at least half of the cucumber, skin and all. Squeeze the grated cucumber over a bowl and you’ll get at least a few ounces of vibrant green cucumber juice.
Make the cocktail:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add the sake, vodka, lemon juice, and cucumber juice. Shake vigorously. Strain into the garnished martini glass.
