Hendrick's: Waiter, There's a Cucumber in My Gin

It sounded like a bad idea. Surely a gimmick, maybe a joke even. A gin infused with cucumbers and rose petals? Really now. I suppose this is what leprechauns and fairies mix with their tonic. Why not add lavender and chamomile while you're at it.

Yeah, when I first came across Hendrick's gin I was not interested. I prefer my gin with the crisp juniper bite that polite society recoils from. If you're going to go messing with the botanicals in gin, try eye of newt or toe of frog, something that reminds me I'm not drinking tea. But cucumbers and roses? I prepared myself to hate it.

But I didn't. I quite liked it surprisingly enough.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised. Cucumber actually complements gin quite well. Drop a slice in your Tanqueray and you'll see that even your London drys have a hint of cucumber underneath all that evergreen. Hendrick's tones down the juniper and puts the spotlight on the cucumber to give it a nice clean taste. It's floral without being flowery. It's light on its feet, but since it's a hearty 88 proof you'll still respect yourself in the morning.

And if it makes you feel any better, it's distilled in Scotland by people who know their way around a pot still.

Hendrick's Cocktails
Hendrick's makes a splendid martini with a whisper of vermouth. But -- and this is critical -- you must garnish it with a cucumber. I thought at first that that was gimmick too. When I read that mixologists in Hendrick's employ insisted on the cucumber garnish I rolled my eyes. OK, I get it, I thought. Hendrick's is distilled with cucumbers. Throwing one in your martini would make as much sense as tossing juniper berries in your Tanqueray.

But, again, I was wrong. A slice of cucumber made the vegetal essence of the gin explode. It made me feel as though I was sipping a distilled green salad. If that thought repulses you, you haven't tried Hendrick's.

Same for mixing with tonic. Forget the lime (although that will do it a pinch). Garnish with a cucumber and you'll rediscover the G+T all over again.

Cucumbers Pull a Seat up to the Bar
And it's catching on. I can recall ordering a Hendrick's martini a few years ago and when I insisted on the cucumber garnish I got a perplexed look from the waiter, followed by a dozen wooden-match-sized slivers floating in my glass. When the Fenix in Phoenixville first opened, I dispatched the waiter to the restaurant next door for a cucumber slice. Now they keep them at the bar. Another example of my conscientious imbibing making a difference.

You're welcome.