Sunday, January 3, 2016

Copycat Cucumber Delight Recipe

Just having two nights to spend in our nation's capital, I called upon my friends who were familiar with the city not for advice on which monument to see, or what museum was best, but...... where would we have the best food experience of course!  I asked all my fellow foodies for restaurant recommendations and they unanimously suggested (well... insisted) I try Founding Farmers.  If you have had the privilege to visit the Founding Farmers restaurant in Washington D.C. recently, I hope you were steered in the right direction as far as drink selection goes as this drink was the absolute highlight to my entire trip.
Having partied a little too hard the night before, I was extremely exhausted, dehydrated, and let's face it...hungover.  I was having a hard time deciding on which drink to order as I really just wanted copious amounts of water at that point when a couple of women in line beside us at the bar ordered this amazing looking drink garnished with cucumber and cantaloupe.  Being my nosy self, I asked them what they were drinking and their faces lit up with excitement as they pointed to it on the menu...."Organic Cucumber Delight" and told us it's the only drink they get when they go there because it is just that delicious.


I was intrigued but wasn't feeling the cucumber so I ordered a glass of Chardonnay.... big mistake. My friends were wise enough to order the cucumber delight and, of course, loved it just as much as the women at the bar.  Once I tried theirs, I realized just how big of a  mistake the glass of wine was. The drink was so refreshing and the perfect blend of sweet and citrus without either overpowering the other.  Next round of drinks, we all ordered the cucumber delight of course and I set my mind to a very important mission... to re-create this amazing drink!
I am all about making things from scratch and had planned on muddling the seedless cucumber as they did but was feeling very thirsty and was too impatient for the extra step, not to mention, mess in my kitchen.  The already infused cucumber vodka didn't disappoint but please feel free to try it with the muddling process and let me know what you think! Another difference in my recipe versus theirs is they used a higher-end French ginger liquor, Domaine de Canton, which is seemingly impossible to find in Ohio so I used what I believe to be the next best thing.
After only a few trials and errors, this recipe is what I found to be the masterpiece:


1 1/2 oz cucumber vodka (I used Effen Cucumber)
1/2 oz Stirrings all natural ginger liquor
1 oz simple syrup
1/2 fresh squeezed lime
1 melon ball
Shake in cocktail shaker and pour over ice in rocks glass.
Top with soda water (about 1 1/2 oz)

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