Swig & Swill: Cucumber Ice Cubes

Excuse me, would you like to add some sophistication to that cocktail? Well, why not try some cucumber ice cubes?

Cucumber ice. Simple, sophisticated, refreshing.

If you’re looking for ways to add a little class to your drinks, why not freeze up some cucumber ice cubes? All you need to do is peel a cucumber, chop it up a bit and throw it in a blender along with a liter or so of water. Purée, and freeze in an ice cube tray. Then you’ll be ready to enjoy the perfect gin and tonic. Or, if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you might try my variation on the Porch Swing Coctail.

Veranda Tippler

2oz Tanqueray No. 10
1.5oz Pimm’s No. 1
4oz Lemonade (1 part fresh lemon juice, 3/4 part ginger simple syrup, 2 parts water)

Pour all ingredients into a large Collins glass over cucumber ice cubes and top with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Garnish with cumber and lemon slices.

Needle Drop: White Hinterland

Following on Sarah’s pickle post from yesterday, here’s a video from White Hinterland’s new album, Kairos, which climactically features a pickle (or cucumber) plant of some kind (you can decide). For some reason I find this video a bit creepy.

The album itself feels a bit darker — more electronic and murky with it’s heavily reverbed and swelling vocals than 2008′s Guaraldi-heavy piano Phylactery Factory. It’s not all dark though; parts of it (“Begin Again”) feel like they could fit on Feist’s Let It Die.