Cucumber Collins

This refreshing Cucumber Collins cocktail is a summery spin on the Tom Collins! It’s tart and bubbly, with fresh basil, lemon and gin.

Here’s a deliciously bubbly drink that’s calling your name (and ours too): the Cucumber Collins cocktail! It’s a summery spin on the Tom Collins, featuring cucumber and fresh basil, that peppery herb you might be growing in a pot or your garden. It’s got a tangy sweet flavor, a cucumber basil essence and a load of bubbles packed in that glass. Add some jingling ice cubes, and it’s a drink fit for flip flops and summer evenings.

Ingredients in a Cucumber Collins

This Cucumber Collins is a spin on a drink that makes our list of top greatest cocktails of all time: the Tom Collins! The first recipe for a Tom Collins was published in 1876. How’s that for historical? It’s stood the test of time and makes the list of the International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, meaning it has an official definition. This summer spin just adds cucumber and fresh basil. Here’s what you’ll need to make a Cucumber Collins:

• Cucumber slices
• Fresh basil
• Gin
• Simple syrup
• Lemon juice
• Soda water (aka club soda)

Tips for muddling

This Cucumber Collins is perfect for summer, when you’ve got a prolific basil plant and summers best vegetable on hand. The main skill you’ll need for any cocktail that uses fresh herbs and fruits or vegetables is called muddling. What is it?

• Muddling is gently mashing herbs, fruits or vegetables to release their juices, which helps the flavors incorporate into drinks. 
• The key with muddling basil is a gentle touch. Don’t mash the basil to a pulp! Instead, gently tap it to release its oils.
• Then add the cucumber and muddle again. Once you add the cucumber slices, you can muddle with a little more force. You’ll want to extract some of the cucumber juice, so you can give it a little more elbow grease.
• Use a cocktail muddler or wooden spoon. Here’s the cocktail muddler we have.

How to make a Cucumber Collins: basic steps

This Cucumber Collins cocktail is simple to make: the hardest part is muddling the fresh ingredients! After that, it’s just a matter of shaking and straining. Here are the basic steps, or jump to the recipe below.

1. Muddle the basil and cucumber in the cocktail shaker. See above!
2. Add the remaining ingredients and ice, and shake! Add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup and shake it together in a cocktail shaker with 1 handful ice.
3. Strain into a glass and top off with soda water. Strain the drink into a glass with ice cubes, then top with club soda. If you can, use clear ice! It’s crystal clear instead of cloudy like normal ice, and makes the drink look like it’s from a fancy bar.
4. Garnish! This is what makes the drink! Add a few cucumber and basil slices.

More cucumber cocktail ideas

There are so many ways to mix up this vegetable into cucumber cocktails! Here are a few more ideas:

• Go for a Cucumber Margarita or Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita
• Try a Cucumber Gimlet with gin or the Cucumber Martini with vodka
• Make an Irish Maid Cocktail with cucumber and Irish whiskey
• Make Cucumber Vodka for more vodka drinks, or go for spiked Cucumber Lemonade

01

Cucumber Margarita

02

Cucumber Martini

03

Cucumber Gimlet

04

Irish Maid Cocktail

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