Cucumber Cocktail with Basil

Um, yeah. Cucumber. Lime. Basil. Each of those things screams refreshing to me. Put them altogether in a cocktail and of course you aren’t going to hate it. This cucumber cocktail with basil and vodka might just be my go-to summer drink. And it is pretty much guilt free. But let me tell you a little bit of a funny story…

Sometimes brands send me alcohol to use in posts. Just like American Harvest did. But most of the time I already have an idea for something I want to make with it. The bottle arrived with a little recipe booklet and I flipped through. Each cocktail sounded more delicious than the last. And then I came across this cucumber number. I sliced up the cucs, quartered the limes and got almost through the entire recipe before I realized…This drink is pretty much straight vodka. Like, there is a little bit of lime juice and a tiny bit of cucumber juice from the muddling but it’s pretty much a big old cup of icy cold vodka. You would have thought I would have figured that out when I read the recipe the first time. Or made my grocery list of things I needed for making the cocktail. But no. I’m a total lightweight so I was super concerned that I would not like it and be drunk just from one sip. I am happy to report that while the cocktail was on the stronger side (again, the whole thing is pretty much vodka) the taste was fantastic! The basil, cucumber and lime took the edge off but the real star is the American Harvest Vodka. For real. I wouldn’t just say that since they sent me a bottle of vodka. I could totally see drinking these this summer. Like, really slowly. Over several hours. With lots of food in my stomach. And a baby sitter for the kids. And some Drinkwel. But I have heard that organic vodka’s are not as likely to induce a hang over…What I loved most about this cucumber cocktail is that the flavors are so crisp and clean. The ice made this super easy to sip and the fragrance from the basil and cucumber made it a really enjoyable from start to finish. It goes to show that with the right brand of spirit, you might like something you were never a huge fan of before. This has also happened with me and whiskey.

I love a good cucumber cocktail don’t you? You’re going to want to make this. But do it responsibly! This will knock you on your buns if you aren’t careful!

*Thank you for supporting the brands, like American Harvest, that let me do what I do.  All opinions are mine.