Today we have a guest post by someone who is near and dear to the Crumbs from Heaven kitchen, Parker. He is the official test-taster, the one who makes last minute trips to the store, the one who adds the finishing touches to my recipes...and my wonderful boyfriend!

The Perfect Gin & Tonic

Last weekend Allison and I , along with some of her friends, went to Corsair Distillery. Corsair is located in the former Yazoo building in Marathon Village. I was expecting to have the opportunity to taste some of their fine spirits but, due to arcane Tennessee liquor laws, we could only taste various beers on tap.

Allison surprised me on Friday with a bottle of Corsair Gin, which can be purchased at a few locations around town, including Midtown Spirits. We have been on a Gin and Tonic kick as of late, using Tangueray. My attempts to create the perfect cocktail have included various combinations of cucumber, mint, basil and lime.

Tonight we decided to kick it old school with a simple combination of Gin, Tonic, Lime and Cucumber. I cut up the cucumber two different ways. First, I diced up about ½ cup of cucumber and added it to a cocktail shaker. I also sliced 10 paper thin pieces of cucumber as garnish.

I added several ounces’ of gin and 5 pieces of ice to the cocktail shaker and shook. The vigorous shaking action breaks down the cucumber and adds a nice viscosity to the drink. You should shake it until frost begins to form on the cocktail shaker.

Next I lined the glass with the paper thin cucumber slices, filled with ice and added the gin, tonic and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The Gin and Tonic was very light and refreshing, with the cucumber adding freshness and body to the drink. I especially liked the Corsair Gin because it had nice citrus and floral undertones.

This is the perfect summertime beverage... crisp, light and refreshing.

Ingredients (makes two servings):

* 1/2 cup of diced cucumbers
* 10 paper thin cucumber slices
* 2 lime wedges
* 3 oz Corsair Gin
* 8 oz tonic water