I love this cocktail, especially on warm summer days, it’s so light and refreshing. And much needed after endless hours of yard work. Yep, as much as I’m loving this house it does come with a few chores. The weed control alone is mind boggling. Weeds are determined, strong and healthy buggers. Pluck it out, it grows right back, or maybe more in another place. Kind of like that game whack-a-mole! It crossed my mind to just surrender to them, to have a dandelion yard, this is what nature wants, why fight it? But as I mentioned before this is new territory for us apartment dwellers, and we’re learning as we pluck along. But hey, we have berries which makes it all good.

This recipe is for a small batch, which should make about 8 drinks or so. You could use english cucumbers, but I used an ordinary cucumber and it came out fine. Let it sit for 48 hours, any longer and the vodka will take on a bitter taste. I’ve seen recipes where they let it sit for up to 2 weeks, but it’s really not necessary and I’ve found any longer than 2 days it will start to get bitter. Also filtering the vodka can help give it a smoother finish. You could add ginger or mint to this drink, but it tastes so great on its own with just a squeeze of lime, I love the simple clean fresh taste.

Cucumber Infused Vodka

1/2 large cucumber
1 1/2 cups vodka
Mason jar, 32 oz quart size
Coffee filter
Funnel

Slice the cucumber very thin using a mandolin, fill the jar with the cucumber slices so that it’s full but not too packed. Pour the vodka over cucumbers and give it a shake. Store in cool dark place for 48 hours. Strain the vodka into another container. Place the coffee filter in the funnel and place on top of a bottle, filter the vodka back and forth between the containers a couple of times. Store in a tightly sealed bottle.