Easy homemade Cucumber Gin Recipe

Refreshingly delicious this easy homemade cucumber gin recipe is the perfect summer cooler with the tonic of your choice, as a frozen shot or as part of a cocktail too.

Cucumber and gin go very well together, just think of the world-famous Hendricks gin that is flavoured with cucumber.

A slice of cucumber is also a great addition to any gin, especially those with very bold flavours in themselves. The cucumber adds a mellow and almost floral sweetness to your gin.

So making your own cucumber-infused gin seems like a natural step forward in the world of flavoured gin making.

Over the years I have made everything from my strawberry and lavender gin to rhubarb and ginger gin. However both of these are liqueurs whilst this cucumber gin recipe os not a liqueur at all but instead it is a cucumber infused gin.

What’s the difference between a liqueur and an infusion?

There is one word that makes this important difference. Sugar. A liqueur contains sugar or honey and is a sweet drink very often sipped after a meal. An infusion is an alcoholic drink that has the added flavour of fruit, vegetables or herbs steeped into it without the addition of sugar.

Why make your own cucumber gin?

Flavoured gins are all the rage these days with the supermarket shelves groaning under the weight of flavoured hooch. However, these flavoured gins come with a hefty price tag and you can make your own homemade cucumber flavoured gin very cheaply using basic supermarket gin as your base.

Ingredients

So what are the ingredients you need to make your own cucumber gin?

Gin – go for a basic supermarket gin to make your cucumber-infused gin. After all you want to be adding your own flavour to the gin so start with something basic. This is no time to crack open the Bombay Sapphire!

Cucumber – I used one medium-sized cucumber to make my cucumber gin recipe. Make sure your cucumber is fresh and not over-ripe as this will be way too watery and tasteless. Make sure the cucumber is firm when pressed and don’t use any that are bruised.

Vermouth – Yes, you add just a little vermouth to this cucumber gin recipe as it helps to bring together the flavours.

Salt – Use sea salt flakes/crystals, not table salt. Just a wee touch of salt brings out the flavour of the cucumber and makes for a better flavoured gin.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to make cucumber gin

First things first, wash the cucumber and pat dry to remove any dirt attached to the skin. You are not going to peel the cucumber so it’s important that the skin of the cucumber is clean to start with.

How to cut the cucumber to make this gin; Cut the cucumber into matchsticks. This is better than cutting it into rounds as it exposes a lot more of the flesh and releases more cucumber flavour into your gin.

Pack the chopped up cucumber into a large clean jar and sprinkle over the salt.

Now pour in the all-important gin and add the vermouth. Pop a lid on the jar and give it a really good shake to mix all your cucumber gin ingredients together.

set the jar aside in a cupboard for a week to infuse and let the gin really soak up all that lovely cucumber flavour.

Finally, strain your cucumber gin through a double layer of muslin or kitchen roll to remove the solids. You want to use a double layer of muslin or kitchen roll to hold back all those tiny fibres that come off the cucumber while it is soaking in the gin.

These fibres won’t make any difference to your cucumber gin but they will make it cloudy so taking the time to let the gin drip slowly through two layers of muslin of kitchen paper will make a big difference.

The last step in making your own homemade cucumber gin is to pour the strained gin into a sterilised bottle.

How to serve cucumber gin

This cucumber-infused gin makes the perfect gin and tonic. What could be better on a hot sunny day than a long, cooling G&T. Just fill a glass with ice, add your cucumber gin and top with the tonic of your choice. Add a slice of cucumber to finish it off, cheers!

Cucumber gin martini.

Swish a cocktail glass with a tiny bit of vermouth and in a cocktail shaker mix ice with your homemade cucumber gin and shake really well. Go all out Tom Cruise in Cocktail! Now pour it into your prepared cocktail glass and garnish with a slither of cucumber on a stick.

You can also serve this cucumber-infused gin as an ice-cold shot. Simply pop a bottle of cucumber gin in the freezer along with some little shot glasses and then serve it straight from the freezer. The gin will have thickened up and be almost syrup-like. It’s delicious!

How long does cucumber gin last?

Your cucumber-infused gin will keep for up to a year in a cool cupboard.

Looking for more gin-infused drinks to try? Then check out these recipes before you go;

Blackberry and apple gin liqueur

Candy cane gin liqueur

Spiced cherry gin

Strawberry and lavender gin

Rhubarb and ginger gin liqueur

Christmas cranberry gin

Or check out my Homemade Liqueurs and Infusions section for a whole host of fun boozy recipes.

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.