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    Home / Recipes / Ingredient / Alcohol

    7 Aug 12, 2010 Alcohol  |   Jump to Recipe

    Summer Cocktails

    Summer Cocktails - Cucumber Lime Basil Martini

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    A good friend of mine once said, “The key to a successful dinner party is to start with great cocktails.”  His reasoning is that if your guests are boozed up, they won’t notice any of the mistakes you make and your food is guaranteed to taste good!  While I certainly think this is valuable advice, I like to serve mixed drinks for a different reason.  Providing your guests with signature cocktails can really give your party an elevated, restaurant-like feel.  Continue reading for two Summer Cocktail recipes:  Cucumber Lime Basil Martini and The Rosebud.

    Summer Cocktails - Cucumber Lime Basil Martini

     

    Summer Cocktails - Cucumber Lime Basil Martini

    Cucumber Lime Basil Martini

    by Brandon Matzek
    4.34 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings 1 cocktail

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 fresh basil leaves
    • 1 half lime
    • 2 oz./ 2 shots cucumber vodka (Square One makes a good Cucumber Vodka or you could make your own)
    • ¾ oz./ ¾ shot simple syrup*
    • Crushed ice

    Additional fresh basil leaves (optional)

      Thinly sliced cucumber (optional)

        Instructions
         

        • Fill a cocktail shaker about half way with crushed ice. Muddle in fresh basil leaves (mash them up with the ice). The leaves should look pretty beat up and the ice should start turning green. Squeeze in 1 half lime. Add cucumber vodka and simple syrup. Cap your shaker and go to town. Strain mixture into a martini glass and garnish with a fresh basil leaf or thin cucumber slices.
        Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

        The Rosebud

         

        The Rosebud

        Rosebud

        by Brandon Matzek
        Adapted from Cucina Urbana.
        No ratings yet
        Print Recipe Pin Recipe
        Servings 1 cocktail

        Ingredients
          

        • 10 chunks fresh watermelon**
        • 2 oz./ 2 shots Watermelon Rosemary Infused Vodka
        • Crushed ice

        Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

          Instructions
           

          • Fill a cocktail shaker about half way with crushed ice. Muddle in watermelon chunks (mash them up with the ice). Add watermelon rosemary infused vodka and shake until cold. Strain into a short tumbler and garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

          Notes

          * To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water (I usually do 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water) into a saucepan. Stir sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using. Using simple syrup is a great way to sweeten cold drinks (cocktails, iced tea, lemonade, iced coffee, etc.).
          ** The amount of watermelon chunks needed for this drink depends on how juicy your watermelon chunks are. If you strain your drink and find that you do not have enough juice, simply muddle up some more chunks and strain again.
          Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!
          7
          Brandon and Federico
          Brandon

          I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!

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          Categories: Alcohol Tags: basil, cucumber, lime, rosemary, simple syrup, vodka, watermelon

          Reader Interactions

          Comments

          1. Baking Serendipity says

            September 6, 2010 at 6:17 pm

            I love the pictures! These would be great for an end of summer cocktail party!

            Reply
          2. Amy says

            September 6, 2010 at 6:27 pm

            The rosebud sounds amazing!

            Reply
          3. Jason's BBQ Adventures says

            September 6, 2010 at 9:27 pm

            Great looking drinks for Labor day!

            Reply
          4. Michelle (Jelly Shot Test Kitchen) says

            September 6, 2010 at 9:41 pm

            These cocktails look great – i absolutely love serving a signature cocktail at parties, and the flavors of these two are so perfect and summery. I just made a watermelon basil based jelly shot this weekend, but your watermelon rosemary combination intrigues me to do some more tinkering!

            Reply
          5. Diaczun Style says

            September 6, 2010 at 11:33 pm

            gorgeous… can’t wait to try these. They are both great colorful drinks for photo shoots! 🙂

            Reply
          6. Karen says

            September 6, 2010 at 11:51 pm

            Beautiful photos! Love your garnishes…was just thinking I needed some ideas other than a sprig of mint.

            Reply
          7. Priscilla - She's Cookin' says

            September 7, 2010 at 12:41 am

            Love the herbal element to both of these gorgeous cocktails! Wonderful way to end the weekend – you’ve inspired me to mix one up right now 🙂 Beautiful photos and love your new blog look, too!

            Reply
          8. Rachel says

            September 7, 2010 at 12:45 am

            Ohhhhh, those cocktails look FABulous!

            Reply
          9. Anna says

            September 6, 2010 at 6:17 pm

            I love your friend’s approach to entertaining, as I too have been known to get my guests looped on cocktails. However, my are not as imaginative as the ones posted on your blog. I’ve enjoyed basil and strawberry gelato but I never thought of using basil in a drink, let alone rosemary. Thanks for the inspiration.
            Anna,
            http://annastable.blogspot.com

            Reply
          10. Gree says

            September 7, 2010 at 2:04 am

            Oh my..now I must have a cocktail immediately, these look amazing. Do oyu have a favorite vodka or is it Square One? I like vodka..it’s gluten-free you know 🙂

            Reply
          11. Debbie says

            September 7, 2010 at 3:24 am

            you have a real gift for cocktails! more great ones! Lime Basil is my preference…

            Reply
          12. penny aka jeroxie says

            September 7, 2010 at 4:05 am

            I am keeping this for summer… delicious!

            Reply
          13. the constant hunger says

            September 7, 2010 at 11:59 am

            Cucumbers and watermelons are such fragrant fruits. They are just screaming to be mixed up with alcohol. Wonderful cocktails (and pics).

            Reply
          14. [email protected] Sprigs of Rosemary says

            September 7, 2010 at 1:43 pm

            I’ll have to try the Rosebud. (You should have submitted any of these cocktails to salon.com’s Kitchen Challenge last week.)

            Reply
          15. RavieNomNoms says

            September 7, 2010 at 2:21 pm

            Gorgeous pictures! Drinks looks really good too!

            Reply
          16. Becky says

            September 7, 2010 at 5:18 pm

            Beautiful colors! I have made watermelon cocktails before, but they didn’t turn out yours. I’ll have to make yours, if it’s not to late for local watermelon.

            Reply
          17. Jason Phelps says

            September 8, 2010 at 1:51 am

            These are definitely new and interesting cocktails. Check out http://ancientfirewineblog.blogspot.com/ where we make cocktails almost weekly.

            Jason

            Reply
          18. Diane Nader-Epling says

            September 8, 2010 at 2:46 am

            You’ve done it, again!
            diane

            Reply
          19. Brandon Matzek says

            September 8, 2010 at 2:12 pm

            @Anna Basil works well in many drinks. I recently had a Basil Gimlet that was amazing! Thyme, rosemary and tarragon are other herbs that work well in drinks. Strawberry and basil is a great combination! Earlier in the year, I made a strawberry, basil , balsamic soda. Very tasty.

            @Michelle Watermelon and basil sounds wonderful. I might just give that a try this weekend!

            @Karen I like garnishing with a big sprig of rosemary (when appropriate) – the shape is so dramatic and the leaves give off a beautiful, woodsy fragrance. Plus, rosemary grows wild all over San Diego, so I can easily walk outside and snip some.

            @Gree When I am doing a vodka infusion, I like to get a middle of the road vodka (smirnoff, skyy or absolut). If I am shaking up the vodka straight up, I like to get Kirkland Vodka (Costco’s vodka). Kirkland Vodka is comparable to Grey Goose and costs a fraction of the price! Square One does make a great Cucumber Vodka, but I used my own Armenian Cucumber Vodka for this recipe.

            @Rosemary I wasn’t aware of the contest! But thank you for the heads up. I will keep my eye on their Kitchen Challenges.

            Reply
          20. Sommer @ A Spicy Perspective says

            September 9, 2010 at 2:27 pm

            Gorgeous! Love the cucumber basil concoction especially!

            Reply
          21. Trader Joes Recipes says

            May 19, 2012 at 10:53 am

            The cucumber martini sounds amazing. Nice Pics!

            Reply

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          Brandon and Federico

          I'm Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Read More…


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