Recipe Idea: Cucumber Cape Codder

Mondays are tough and sometimes you need that happy hour drink to pull you through to the weekend.  We found this easy to make recipe from Martha Stewart that we must try. The tart taste of lime juice mixed with cool cucumber is a recipe to combat any Monday blues. Try it out and let us know how it goes! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups grated English cucumber (about 1 cucumber), plus cucumber wedges, for garnish
• 9 ounces vodka, chilled
• 12 ounces cranberry juice (no sugar added)
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
• Ice, for serving

Directions

1. Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in grated cucumber, and let cool. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl or large glass measuring cup, and discard solids (you should have 2 cups syrup). Cucumber syrup can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
2. Combine cucumber syrup, vodka, and cranberry and lime juices in a 2-quart pitcher. Cocktail can be refrigerated up to 8 hours. Serve over ice, and garnish with cucumber wedges.

Recipe Idea: Peach and Basil Juleps

One of our favorite bloggers of all time, Emma Dime, shared her recipe for a Peach and Basil Julep  on her blog that we must try. To say it looks yummy is an understatement! The mix of basil, homemade nectar and bourbon almost make us want to run home early and put together the beautiful concoction. Cheers to Monday and double cheers to tasty drinks! 

PEACH & BASIL JULEPS

Homemade Peach Nectar :
Select peaches that are somewhat soft to the touch and have a pretty fragrant smell. This indicates ripeness. Firm peaches won’t be ripe enough to provide the sweetness needed for a good nectar. Boil enough water in a stock pot to be able to submerge the peaches. Dip each peach into the boiling water until the skin begins to loosen. Remove from the boiling water and place in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the peaches, remove the pit and cut into slices. Combine 2-3 cups sliced peaches and 1 cup water in a blender. Liquefy until smooth. Strain the liquefied peaches through a sieve. Store the nectar in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use. Note : If you want to keep the peach remnants in the drink – don’t strain it. This yields a thicker more smoothie like texture.

Simple Syrup infused with Basil :
Bring 1 cup water / 1 cup sugar / and 15 basil sprigs to a boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then let the mixture cool. Store the syrup in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The Drink :
Fill cup with crushed ice ( we used one large ice cube )
Add 2 Tbsp syrup
1/4 cup of Bourbon
Stir in 5.5oz. of peach nectar
Garnish with basil sprigs & peach wedges

Photos by : Laure Joliet