[cucumber fizz]

1 1/2 oz Hendrick's Gin
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
3 inch piece English Cucumber (no peel)
1 pinch Salt

Muddle cucumber with salt. Add rest of ingredients and shake; add ice and shake again. Double strain into a tall glass containing 2 oz soda water. Garnish with celery bitters and add a straw.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I went to Drink and found seats at the center bar near bartender Will Thompson. When I asked Will what he had been making lately that he thought I might like to try, he mentioned a cucumber Fizz that sounded intriguing. Will created the drink a few weeks back when they had a large batch of rhubarb syrup at the bar. When the syrup got used up, he searched for a substitute and switched over to a combination of Cynar and simple syrup instead. While I have had drinks that have paired up cucumber with Green Chartreuse, Herbsaint, and Pimm's, I have not had one that matched it up with the vegetal notes of Cynar, and the combination seemed like one worth trying.
The celery bitters garnishing the egg white foam contributed to the nose and aided the fresh cucumber aroma. Next, the sip was rather clean with lemon and herbal notes, and the swallow contained a pleasing cucumber flavor that was complemented by the gin. I was quite surprised that though the Cynar taste was present, it was not overwhelming like it often can be but played a more supporting role to the cucumber.