Cucumber + Rosemary

After a spring day of moving plants, rearranging rocks, digging up things and replanting them, I got cleaned up, made myself a gin and tonic and sat on my lovely patio in late day sunshine. The birds chirped noisily, the hummingbirds buzzed my head and the day's wind died down to a light breeze. 

And here's the thing: I did not know you can make a gin and tonic with ingredients other than limes and plain tonic. But you can.

This drink is gin + cucumber flavored tonic + a slice of cucumber + a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary from my garden. No limes.

I had no idea you could vary the recipe, but cucumber and rosemary turn out to be exactly what gin wants. The lemon supports them both.

I'm no drinks connoisseur, or wine expert for that matter, but this drink is what you are supposed to have when you are done after a day in the garden. 

It is refreshing, fragrant, restorative and crisp. Not citrusy like lime G&Ts, and not bitter like plain tonic can be. I might go make another . . . I have the ingredients.

My only problem is finding a little sprig of rosemary that doesn't have a bloom on it. My 'Arp' rosemary plant is in full flower right now and it's pretty spectacular. 

The flowers are tiny and clear blue. The foliage has a nice scent, but nothing like it gets when the weather turns hot and just brushing by this plant releases intense rosemary fragrance. A gin and tonic with heavily fragrant summer rosemary will be something to try!