Garden-fresh martini

Here’s a drink that is as light and breezy and a Seacliff Indian summer evening and a fun way to use ripe, late summer strawberries and cucumbers. I watched Ben at Oswald Restaurant make these by the dozen before the Lawrence Juber show recently. It was a wonderful drink before a fabulous show, worthy of being duplicated. So just in time for you weekend revelry, here’s my take on what he did:

Garden-Fresh Martini 

First, drop 2 or 3 halved strawberries into a pint glass:

 

Add 3 or 4 slices of fresh cucumber:

 

Use a muddling stick to smash it all together:

 

Don’t forget to smash in a sprig of mint:

 

Squeeze half a lime into the mixture along with a tablespoon of simple syrup:

 

Now rinse the muddler with a splash of sparkling water:

 

Fill the glass with ice:

 

Now fill to the top with your favorite vodka:

 

Strain and serve:

 

I added a second tablespoon of simple syrup and substituted sparkling water for the vodka for Kid-friendly versions of this drink. Mmm!