This recipe was created to help move 42 years of accumulated possessions and heirlooms into a smaller space.
One excess item was a bottle of St-Germain elderflower liqueur, about a third full. After successfully using up a bottle of Pimms No. 1 the previous week, I targeted the St-Germain in our race against time to get everything gone or packed up.
It took a few experiments to devise this drink. Far from getting rid of the St-Germain, the excellence of the G&T ensures that St-Germain will remain part of our bar collection.
I use a sturdy 16-ounce stemmed glass given us by a former business competitor. The glass was also slated for deacquisition, but because it is perfect for this drink, it stays.
I have been a great fan of Cardinal Gin, distilled in Kings Mountain, NC, by Southern Artisan Spirits (SAS), since I met the adorable identical twin founders Alex and Charlie Mauney in 2013 and tasted their gin. This premium gin contains 11 different botanicals, whereas many gins have only a few. As a bonus, their cousin Sarah Mauney Faunce was my schoolmate at Stuart Hall.
1 1/2 ounce Cardinal gin
1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
4 thin cucumber slices
1 wedge of lime
sprig of mint leaves
tonic water (don’t use Polar)
Muddle the cucumber slices in a large glass with the gin and St. Germain. Squeeze the lime wedge juice into the glass and drop in the lime wedge. Add crushed ice up to the brim of the glass. Fill the glass with any decent tonic water and stir to combine the ingredients. Garnish with mint.