White Linen Cocktail

Crisp, cool, and refreshing, this white linen cocktail goes down so easily! It is made with gin, cucumber, lemon juice, soda water, and St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur, and is light and bubbly, perfect for warm summer evenings. Be sure to check out the recipe notes below for a non-alcoholic version too. Either way, you’ll love it.

Created by bartender Rene Dominguez in the early 2000s at the Shady Lady Saloon in Sacramento, the White Linen Cocktail has quickly gained in popularity-and we completely understand why.

White Linen Recipe Ingredients

• Gin– A dry herbal gin works nicely here. Feel free to sub-vodka or non-alcoholic Seedlip “Garden” flavor.
• St. Germain (Elderflower Liqueur) a floral flavored liquor that truly makes the drink! If going alcohol-free, see out elderflower syrup and skip the simple syrup.
• English cucumber (or sub-Turkish or Persian cucumbers) for muddling and garnish.
• Fresh Lemon Juice– to add brightness
• Optional – Simple syrup or honey simple syrup
• Optional Garnishes- cucumber, mint, and white jasmine- or sub other white flowers.

White linen cocktail Instructions

Step one: Using a mandolin or cheese slicer, slice the cucumber vertically, creating long thin ribbons. You’ll need one ribbon per glass for garnish. Set these aside.

Step two: Place ½ cup cucumber slices (these can be the scraps) into a shaker and muddle with the gin. For more flavor, refrigerate up to 3 days.

Add the lemon juice, St. Germain and simple syrup and a handful of ice and shake well.

Step Three: Place a cucumber ribbon in each glass, sticking it to the side of the glass. Fill the glasses with ice.

Step four: Pour the cocktail over the ice glass and divide it among two glasses. Top with a splash of sparkling water (1-2 ounces).

Step five: Garnish with cucumber, mint, and white white jasmine.

Tips

• Pre-make a pitcher! Quadruple the recipe, strain it, and place it all in a pitcher without the soda water. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add the soda water when serving.
• Frosty Glasses! Place glasses with the cucumber ribbon in the freezer for ½ hour before serving for frosty cold glasses.
• Extra cucumber flavor! Muddle the cucumber with the gin and store it in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days.
• If you like mint– add a few leaves when muddling the cucumber.
• Non-alcoholic – to make this alcohol-free, seek out Elderflower syrup and Seedlip “garden”. Muddle cucumber with Seedlip, add lemon juice and elderflower syrup to taste. top with sparkling water.

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